Free food in Passaic County will be more accessible this summer with mobile food pantry

A mobile food pantry is expected to hit the streets of Passaic County this summer.

County officials this week revealed plans to boost food security efforts in all 16 municipalities through the extension of a public-private partnership with local not-for-profit pantries. The effort involves the creation of a pantry-led Emergency Food Provider Coalition to share resources, data and best practices and will be supplemented by a county-funded program designed to fill in the gaps.

The county-funded program is centered on a mobile pantry due to begin touring Passaic County later this summer. Similar to the county's Hope One mobile recovery outreach unit focused on harm reduction, treatment services and care packages for the unhoused, the mobile pantry will bring assistance for food security services in addition to food deliveries to communities in need, said Arti Kakkar, director of the Passaic County Department of Human Services.

With some local pantries becoming understocked due to increased demand amid hundreds of thousands of visits each year, Kakkar said food is one of the county's most pressing needs, behind housing and healthcare. Meanwhile, area pantries need volunteers, delivery vehicles, storage space and certain foods, such as meats, she said.

In a recent survey of 20 food pantries serving all 16 towns, county officials found six of them are open only one day a week. None operate on Sundays. Just two offer enrollment assistance for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP.

"There's a huge need that we all need to address," Kakkar said.

The new mobile pantry will be operated by CUMAC, a Paterson pantry and assistance provider and a founding member of the new coalition. CUMAC will run the program for the remainder of the calendar year under a nearly $110,000 contract approved by the County Board of Commissioners on June 11. The agreement has up to four one-year renewal options, county records show.

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County Commissioner Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara said the mobile pantry should help bring awareness to the county's food security options and affiliated programs.

"The more we can get out there and network, the more people will know what we have to offer," she said.Kakkar said officials plan to develop and release an outreach calendar for the mobile unit and a healthy food access map via the coalition in the coming months.

Agencies participating in the coalition include Center for Food Action, Catholic Charities/Father English Food Pantry, Oasis, St. Paul’s, Food Brigade, CUMAC and YMCA of Paterson, county records show.