The Nourishing Knowledge Hub
Insights & Resources from New Jersey’s Food Security Community of Practice
Food security work in New Jersey is about more than a meal or a bag of shelf-stable goods—it’s about dignity, equity, economic mobility, community health, and the right of every person to have a fair opportunity to thrive. The NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) works across, alongside and beyond our entire statewide food ecosystem to put nourishing food within closer reach of every New Jerseyan, every day.
This Nourishing Knowledge Hub is where stories by and about our growing Food Security Community of Practice come together to inform, inspire, and collectively document this bold work. You’ll find multimedia stories from local leaders and community members, and shortcuts to refreshed resources from OFSA and its national and local partners that can help neighbors and decision makers take action on their shared vision for a thriving and resilient community by prioritizing a more holistic understanding of food security.
Together, we’re showing what it means to build a food-secure state where local voices drive solutions and every table has enough.
How to Use this Page:
Connect your headphones or earbuds - this is a digital experience with audio and video.
Use the Table of Contents at right to jump around the sections as you’d like
OR, simply scroll, watch, listen and read in the order you choose. It’s up to you!
Contents
Snackable Stories from Communities:
New Jersey Agriculture & Charitable Food
Get to Know Hudson County Food Security Task Force's Collective Impact Work (2024)
Bringing Hot Meals and Easier Access to Services Together in Metuchen: NJ Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan with Elijah’s Promise Executive Director Michelle Wilson and FPC Pantry Director Sarah Teti.
REPLENISH: Touring upgrades to local, cold storage facilities that were made possible by state investments in the charitable food system, with Speaker Craig Coughlin, Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, and NJ Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan.
Get to Know the Story of the Bergen County Office of Food Security and Its Collective Impact Work (2024)
Bringing Locally Grown Food to the Heart of Atlantic City: NJ Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan with C.R.O.P.S. Executive Director Lisa Newcomb and Food Production Coordinator Erika Quarton-Neiderhofer.
Somerset County Human Service Navigators Assist Franklin Food Bank Shoppers Onsite: with Executive Director Derek Smith and Navigator Aldo Martinez.
New Jersey formally enshrined the right to adequate food in 2025: Joint resolution AJR229, recognizing the right to adequate food, received final legislative approval.
Building Food Insecurity - Long-Term Solutions: Assemblyman William Spearman and NJ Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan visit economic mobility programs in Camden and Pennsauken. Such programs build food security by helping individuals acquire the skills needed for steady employment.
State-Level Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) & Local Farm to School (LFS): HungryWork Farm Tour with Speaker Craig Coughlin, NJ Food Security Advocate Mark Dinglasan and NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn.
Retrospective:
A Look Back at the Emergency Response Efforts to Assist NJ SNAP Families Impacted by the Fall 2025 Federal Government Shutdown
Soundbites: Perspectives on School Meals & Summer EBT
Arlethia Brown
Senior Director, Camden School Nutrition
Lisa Pitz
Director, Center for Food Action; Hunger Free NJ
Part 1
Genesi Miles
Principal, Franklin High School
Arlethia Brown
Senior Director, Camden School Nutrition
In 2024, New Jersey was in the first cohort of states to implement the federal Summer EBT nutrition benefit program for eligible students and their families: The Assembly honored the multiple partners in that inaugural effort, including Hunger Free NJ, the NJ Association of School Business Officials and the NJ School Nutrition Association.
Chesha Hodge
Director of the Coalition for Healthy Food in Newark Schools, Greater Newark Conservancy
Dr. John Ravally
Superintendent, Franklin Township Public Schools
Lisa Pitz
Director, Center for Food Action; Hunger Free NJ
Part 2
Resources from OFSA and Its Partners for the Food Systems & Food Security Field
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2025 Update: Primer on the Six Dimensions of Food Security in New Jersey
NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate
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2025 Update: State of Food Security in New Jersey Data Chart Book
NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate
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NJ Statewide Food Security Index
Trenton Health Team
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Exploring the Six Dimensions of Food Security in New Jersey
NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate and Center for Nutrition & Health Impact
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School Meals and Summer EBT Application Toolkit
Hunger Free NJ
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Hunger, Food Security, and Maternal Health
New Jersey Department of Health
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Food Security Among New Jersey College Students
New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
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Food and Nutrition Security Related Measures
Center for Nutrition & Health Impact
Run it Back: Highlights from the 2025 Garden State Conference on Food Security
Access slides on the New Jersey Food Security Strategic Plan development process, focus areas, and next steps; the full recording of the day’s panels, plus photos and a recap of the 2025 honorees.