FeedNJ Receives $5,000 each from Five National and New Jersey-Based Companies to Combat Food Insecurity

Funding will allow for the purchase of meals from local restaurants to be served at soup kitchens throughout 10 counties

HIGHTSTOWN, NJ — Earlier today, FeedNJ, an initiative by SoupKitchen411, announced the receipt of several large grants from local and national companies to help combat food insecurity while supporting local restaurants. AT&T, New Jersey Manufacturers, New Jersey Bankers Association, O’Toole Scrivo LLC, and Federal Business Centers each donated $5,000 to SoupKitchen411’s FeedNJ initiative to match local restaurants with hardworking and resource-thin soup kitchens, resulting in thousands of meals for residents in Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, and Union counties.

Each of these $5,000 donations will provide approximately 1,000 meals to local soup kitchens.

“Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we wanted to help the best way we could. By partnering with FeedNJ through SoupKitchen411, we are not only providing meals to those in need, but we are supporting local restaurants and resource-strained soup kitchens that have been ravaged by the pandemic,” said Kevin O’Toole, of O’Toole Scrivo LLC, and chairman of SoupKitchen411.

“Though the FeedNJ campaign has only been active for two months, we have been overwhelmed with support by individuals, small-businesses, non-profits, charitable organizations, and even large, national corporations like AT&T,” said Ken DeRoberts, Founder of SoupKitchen411. “Over the past two months, we have worked with 35 family-owned restaurants to provide over ten thousand professionally prepared meals to soup kitchens in 18 municipalities throughout the state.”

AT&T’s New Jersey headquarters is located in Bedminster, where they have been active in community outreach and engagement throughout the community. AT&T highly prioritizes education, arts and culture, and human services.

The funds provided by West Trenton-based New Jersey Manufacturers have all gone back into the Trenton Community. New Jersey Manufacturers has a long history of charitable giving in Trenton, and has given back to HomeFront, served meals at Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and has provided contributions to the New Jersey Special Olympics as well as the New Jersey State Museum.

The New Jersey Bankers Association has been working with Eva’s Village, a soup kitchen up in Paterson and a partner of ours, for years now. They have worked with serving meals in soup kitchens and worked with resume-building and marketing for job fairs. The Bankers Association  were eager to help, and their contribution went to serving meals in Perth Amboy and Trenton.

New Jersey Federal Business Centers has granted funds that have been used to serve 1,000 meals in Woodbridge and Plainfield.

SoupKitchen411 has provided over 15,000 meals throughout New Jersey so far, and plans to more than double that number in the coming months.

SoupKitchen411 is a registered 501(c)(3) Non-Profit and has a silver rating by GuideStar. To make a tax-deductible donation to support local families and restaurants, visit www.soupkitchen411.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SoupKitchen411. To find a soup kitchen or food pantry near you, visit https://www.soupkitchen411.com/soup-kitchens.