Looking to help drive economic opportunity and upward mobility, Bank of America announced Tuesday that it will be making more than $4.2 million in grants to 75 New Jersey nonprofits.
The grants, announced during “Giving Tuesday,” will be used by groups that focus on basic needs, affordable housing, workforce development and small business and economic revitalization, Bank of America New Jersey President Alberto Garofalo said.
“As part of our commitment to sustainable growth, helping local organizations address immediate short- and long-term needs has been key on our path of economic recovery,” he said. “By supporting New Jersey’s incredible network of nonprofits, Bank of America is providing philanthropic capital to help advance economic and social progress, establishing pathways to success and stability for our community.”
Vicky Hernandez, executive director of Ironbound Community Corp., said the support from Bank of America will enable her group to deepen its work and impact around ensuring an equitable neighborhood and city through eviction prevention and affordable housing preservation.
“Building community by investing in our children and families is key to the work we do at Ironbound Community Corp.,” she said. “As we continue this important work, we are grateful for Bank of America’s support and are eager to expand on our programs to uplift the community, not uproot.”
Here’s a look at all the groups receiving grants, according to BofA:
Affordable Housing Alliance
African American Chamber of Commerce
America’s Grow-a-Row
Bergen County’s United Way
Boys & Girls Club of Newark
Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County
Boys & Girls Clubs of New Jersey
Center for Non-Profits
Central Jersey Housing Resource Center
Community FoodBank of New Jersey
Community Foundation of New Jersey-Newark Summer Youth Employment Program
Commissioner Amoroso is joined by Table to Table Vice President of Operations Julie Kinner to discuss a great initiative to provide turkeys to those in need during the holidays.
Welcome back to the Bergen County Commissioners Podcast, where we discuss the wonderful programs and events that we have in our county. And now over to today’s host.
Mary: Hi. I’m Bergen County Commissioner Mary Amaroso, and this is the Bergen County Commissioner’s podcast. Well, we’re coming up to Thanksgiving season, and I know food distribution effort are ongoing. We commissioners were in Dumont for a food distribution for the needy just this week. Today we are joined by Julie Kinner, who is the vice president of operations for Table to Table, which has a new Thanksgiving initiative, which you can access through their I Rescue food app. Believe it or not, you can do this through an app and you can donate. So I’m going to start you back from the beginning. Julie, how are you?
Julie: Very good, thank you. Thank you so much for having me and allowing me to speak about Table to Table and about the I Rescue app, which we are so excited about.
Mary: Yeah. Okay, so let’s start with Table to Table, which is a great organization. You’ve been in business since 1999, right? Isn’t that crazy?
Julie: Yes. And since then, we have rescued and delivered the equivalent of 227,000,000 meals and rescued about 74,000 tons of potentially wasted food from landfills.
Mary: Okay, so tell me how this works. And we’ve been much more aware of it for some reason this year. God bless you. So when you’re rescuing food, where are you rescuing it from?
Julie: We have seven refrigerated trucks, and they work out of Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Pasaic counties. And we’re picking up from Acme, from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, all of our local well known grocery stores. We’re picking up from places like Hello Fresh and Marley, Spoon, Driscoll, places that distribute food, places that would have food that could potentially be wasted. And they’re donating it to us. And then we are delivering it to over 200 places that are feeding the hungry within the four counties, all Bergen, Hudson, Essexam, Pasaic.
Mary: That’s great. And you’re doing it year round, but Thanksgiving is a particularly sensitive or highly accorded season, right?
Julie: Yeah, absolutely. During the holidays, we always say we’ll meet people 365 days of the year, but during the holidays is certainly a time when we really get a lot of asks. A lot of agencies that we haven’t worked with before, a lot of individuals that we haven’t worked with before are reaching out looking because they want to be able to celebrate the holidays like everyone else does. They really would like to be able to sit at a table that has nourishing food turkey and all the incredible sides that we all know what Thanksgiving brings to mind sweet potatoes, mash, whatever. And they want to be able to do the same, and there is no reason they shouldn’t be. They absolutely should be able to sit down to something wonderful with their families during the holidays.
Mary: Okay, so you got an app for this by the way, this initiative is called the Great Bergen County Turkey Take, right? And you can participate in this as a regular person via your app. You have a food app which is called I Rescue.
Julie: We do. We have this incredible app that we launched the end of April. The app was through Food Rescue Hero, which is actually a group that help us establish the app. And then Bergen County and the Russell Berry Foundation actually helped us to launch it as well. It allows us to connect volunteers with donors, with recipients. You can download the app. It is iOS, as well as whatever the other one is. I always forget what the two are, but go on the app.
Mary: Google Play. Google Play. Google Play.
Julie: Thank you. I know my teenagers are now rolling their eyes.
Mary: I know the feeling, but yeah.
Julie: So you can go on the App Store, download table to table, I Rescue, and you fill it out. It’s very simple. You register yourself and you allow notifications. When there is a rescue within your area, a notification will pop up on your phone and tell you, we’re picking up today at Mivo Farms. And if you’re able to, you go you pick up and you can claim the rescue. Go pick up and then deliver it to a local agency. The directions are so clear. It gives you maps, it gives you contact people, it gives you who to text, who to call. It’s just so fun. I actually just did one this morning. I picked up from Panera in Northvale and I delivered to St. Andrews Church in Westwood where they give out food and clothing. And it’s simple and it’s just really fun to do. I feel very techy when I do it, which is very cool. And the turkey Take is something we have always wanted to be able to do, something very holiday ish. We’ve always wanted to do something where we could involve more volunteers around the holidays. And this app is now allowing us to be able to do that. If you a lot of people are getting a free turkey these days, shop, right? And Shoprite is giving them a free turkey or a ham, and many times it just sits in their freezer because they’ve already purchased a turkey or for whatever reason they don’t use it. We’re giving now the opportunity. If you have that extra turkey, reach out to us. You can reach out to us at volunteer@tabletotable.org and say, I’ve got a turkey to donate. If you are interested in doing the donation yourself, doing the rescue yourself, we can put you into the app. Then you’ll get a notification saying you’re all set, and we’ll tell you where you can deliver it to. If you’re not comfortable with it and you just want someone to do that for you, certainly we can send a volunteer to you to pick up the turkey and then to make the donation for you. It’s simple. I’ve said this before, but donating a turkey is so much more gratifying than donating something like a can of soup. While the soup is fantastic, especially as it’s getting colder, when you’re donating a turkey, you’re really giving so much more. You’re giving a large amount of protein that the family can feast on for potentially a couple of days, depending on the size of the turkey and the size of the family.
Mary: Right. And they’re easy, their sense of ease with all those leftover turkey recipes.
Julie: Right, absolutely.
Mary: Okay. One of the ways you can do it is under the I Rescue Food app.
Julie: Yes.
Mary: But also you can did you say text volunteer?
Julie: Yeah, you can email volunteer@tabletop.org or who should you call if you are not technologically? Yeah, they can reach out to Andrea Ibera. So let me of course, I don’t have her phone, so Andrea, you can reach out to Andrea. She’s at 551-25-5684. And Andrea is our app manager and our source manager as well. And so she can absolutely set it up for you. She can easily set up either a volunteer to come in and pick it up, or she can let you know where to go to deliver it again. It’s satisfying donating something like that any time of the year, but during the holidays, it’s really something special.
Mary: And do you have a sense of how many frozen turkeys you expect to be rescuing?
Julie: We really have no idea. This is the first year we’re doing this, so any donation to us is a success. Yeah, we make it easy. I think it’s a great thing because I was just reading one of my friends on Facebook saying, well, I have my turkey from last year that has been frozen, so I thought I’d better cook it so that I have room for the new frozen turkey.
Mary: Right. So this is a great way to use those turkeys that you get from shoprite, et cetera.
Julie: Absolutely. Yeah. Right.
Mary: Okay. And the other thing we should point out that you also accept regular cash donate, correct.
Julie: Absolutely. We wouldn’t be a charity if we didn’t.
Mary: There you go. Absolutely. So if you want to donate cash, how does one do bitcoin?
Julie: Go to our regular website, and the information for the app is also on the regular website, but they can go to www.tabletable.org. And that will absolutely. They can click donate now. They can really look at their stories. There’s photographs. There’s so much on the website to give any more information. To give much more information.
Mary: I want to thank you, Julie Kinner of Table to Table, for all you and your folks do all during the year and especially at this holiday season. Thank you.
Julie: Thank you so much, Commissioner, and have a beautiful Thanksgiving.
Mary: Okay, thank you. Take care. Bye. Thank you for listening to another Bergen County Commissioner’s podcast. If you have any ideas for future podcasts, please email podcast at co bergen, NJ us.
Location: 611 Route 46 W., Suite 240, Hasbrouck Heights Serving: Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties Key members: Ilene Isaacs, executive director; Gregory Mueller, chairman of the board; Julie Kinner, vice president, operations
Origin
Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, was founded in 1999 by Claire Insalata Poulos with the support of a small, passionate group of volunteers, chefs, restaurateurs and guidance from City Harvest, in New York City. What began with one donated van, four food donors and three agencies that served hungry neighbors, quickly evolved into a thriving rescue program, serving the food insecure of northern New Jersey.
Mission
Committed to feeding our hungry neighbors, Table to Table rescues and delivers healthy, fresh and perishable food from grocery stores, food distributors and restaurants. In partnership with hundreds of recipient organizations like food pantries, senior centers and school programs — along with its powerful network of volunteers — Table to Table supports health and wellness for all.
Achievements
This past year alone, Table to Table rescued and delivered the equivalent of more than 39 million meals, and this year we’re slated to do even more! And, since 1999, Table to Table has rescued and delivered the equivalent of 227 million meals and saved 74,000 tons of potentially wasted food from landfills. Table to Table is proud of the Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating for 11 consecutive years.
Finally, from its humble beginnings to the present day, Table to Table has attracted a notable and dedicated hall of fame of culinary supporters — including, but not limited to — chefs such as David Burke, Peter Kelly and Laurent Tourondel.
Programs
As food insecurity continues to affect residents in Bergen County, a partnership between Table to Table, the county and the Russell Berrie Foundation has resulted in the development of the Table to Table I-Rescue App that expands Table to Table’s ability to feed more neighbors. Available on iOS and Android, the App is designed to provide opportunities for volunteers to pick up healthy, fresh food provided by smaller donors like restaurants and caterers and deliver it safely to agency partners such as food pantries, shelters, etc. Please e-mail volunteer@tabletotable.org for more information.
Fundraising
Table to Table is independently funded through individual, foundation and corporate donations and grants. Additionally, Table to Table hosts a variety of exciting events throughout the year, including Bag Lunch, Help a Bunch, Annual Golf Classic and signature food and wine events. Also, support is garnered via cause-marketing campaigns and third-party fundraisers such as birthday events via social media or microsites.
Benefactors
Table to Table partners with a wide range of corporations that embrace Table to Table’s powerful network of community partners. These special relationships offer corporations a unique opportunity for employee engagement initiatives, branding and visibility.
Finally
Hurricane Ida tested Table to Table in a way in which it has never been tested before … not by Hurricane Sandy or even COVID-19! This ravaging flood destroyed its entire fleet of delivery trucks. Without the trucks, Table to Table was not able deliver meals. Immediately and without hesitation, the team worked tirelessly to get up and running. Since other local entities were also impacted, the organization had to battle for limited trucking resources, and are experiencing weekly truck rental costs and other unplanned expenses. Through it all, Table to Table did what was needed to do to ensure that deliveries were made and neighbors in need were fed.
Conversation Starter
For more information about Table to Table, go to: tabletotable.org,or call 201-444-5500.
Food insecurity among post-9/11 veterans is more than twice the national average, and the pandemic has only made things worse. As Veterans Day approaches, we celebrate those who continue to serve by helping fellow vets in need.
Meals Ready to Eat “When you serve your country, it’s not just combat,” says Cucuta (in Englewood, N.J.). “When there’s a need, you jump in.”
An Ex-Marine Now Cooks for Vets
When Dionisio Cucuta Jr. joined the Marines in 1977, cooking was a duty: “I didn’t want to do it, but in the military you’ve got no ship with the Table to Table organization near his hometown of Teaneck, N.J. “Cars line up for two miles,” he says of the demand. Cucuta has also worked with local churches and volunteers to cook more than 25,000 hot meals for families and vets in need.
Known as Chef Dion, Cucuta isn’t new to community service. In 2010 he started Culinary Cadets, an after-school program teaching cooking skills to kids, and he hopes to buy a farm where he can start a restaurant and culinary school and provide jobs to vets. Knowing he’s helping his fellow military families hits close to home: “A lot of vets are on a fixed income and barely make ends meet. Sometimes I’ve needed help. Feeding veterans is like feeding my brother or sister. It’s personal.”
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ – Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue program, will be hosting the Great Bergen County Turkey Take.
Table to Table started by rescuing large amounts of good food from grocery stores and restaurants that would have been discarded and transporting them to facilities in need throughout Bergen County. Through their I-Rescue app, they are now able to commission everyday volunteers to make smaller rescues– ones that don’t require one of their full-sized, refrigerated trucks. This holiday season, they’re putting the app to use and asking volunteers to donate turkeys to neighbors in need.
“At this time of year, many of us have access to a free turkey from our local grocery store; so, why not put it in the hands of a neighbor in need?” Ilene Isaacs, executive director of Table to Table, said.
To participate, volunteers download the app, email the organization at volunteer@tabletotable.org with their location and the number of turkeys they have, and get their donation ready and packaged. Within 24 hours, Table to Table will respond with a donation center. Volunteers then open their I-Rescue app, click ‘my rescues’ and click ‘start.’ Directions will then pop up guiding volunteers to their donation spot.
If people don’t have a turkey to donate, but would still like to help, Table to Table is also accepting donations as they continue their important work through the holiday season.
“For the people that are volunteering and donating, it gives them the opportunity to give something that is so much more than a can of soup,” Julie Kinner, vice president of operations for Table to Table, said. “When you’re giving a whole turkey, you’re giving a tremendous amount of protein to a family who might not be able to afford something so substantial, and something that’s going to feed them typically beyond that one night.”
The Turkey Take began Nov. 9 and will run through Nov. 23, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Kinner said if it’s successful, the organization is considering running the program through the holiday season until the end of December.
“We’ve always wanted to do something Thanksgiving specific, or holiday specific, but because of how busy the trucks are we were never able to,” Kinner said. “The app is allowing us to connect with volunteers and do these extra things that we’ve been looking to do.”
U.S. Marine veteran Dionisio Cucuta organizes a weekly food drive in Englewood, New Jersey that has served over 3 million meals in the last two years. He tells TODAY how fellow veterans have helped him feed hungry veterans and anyone who comes to the food drives. TODAY surprises his team with $10,000 towards their efforts. (Sponsored by Stop & Shop)
Initiative Allows Residents to Donate & Deliver Turkeys via the I-Rescue App Now through November 23rd
Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization today, debuts The Great Bergen County Turkey Take from Table to Table I-Rescue, a Thanksgiving initiative allowing Bergen County residents to personally donate and deliver a turkey to local food pantries and group homes in Bergen County. Now through November 23rd, residents can download the I-Rescue app, powered by Food Rescue Hero (Available on iOS and Google Play ) and visit here for more details. Or, simply make a donation to help Table to Table deliver more meals throughout the year to those in need.
“At this time of year, many of us have access to a free turkey from our local grocery store; so, why not put it in the hands of a neighbor in need?” said Ilene Isaacs, Executive Director of Table to Table. “Join us for The Great Bergen County Turkey Take, and you’ll be donating and volunteering at the same time to make Thanksgiving special for someone who might not otherwise enjoy the holiday,” Isaacs concluded.
About Table to Table
Table to Table is New Jersey’s first food rescue organization. Committed to feeding our hungry neighbors, Table to Table rescues and delivers healthy, fresh and perishable food from grocery stores, food distributors and restaurants, and in doing so, helps the environment. In partnership with hundreds of recipient organizations like food pantries, senior centers and school programs–along with its powerful network of volunteers–Table to Table supports health and wellness for all. Since its inception in 1999, Table to Table has rescued and delivered the equivalent of 227 million meals and saved 74,000 tons of potentially wasted food from landfills. And, through its I-Rescue app—powered by Food Rescue Hero—Table to Table has expanded its distribution footprint to include donations that serve smaller donors and recipient organizations. Independently funded through grants and donations, Table to Table is proud of its Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating for 11 consecutive years. Learn more by visiting https://tabletotable.org/
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Provident Bank Foundation named its major grant recipients for its second cycle of 2021 in a Nov. 4 press release. The foundation awarded nearly $450,000 of total funding to 27 nonprofit organizations within the foundation’s three priority areas of community enrichment; education; and health, youth and families.
In Essex County, grants have been awarded to Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation in Belleville; NJ LEEP, a college access and success program serving students and families in the greater Newark area; and Table to Table, a community-based food rescue program that collects prepared and perishable food that would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to organizations serving the hungry in the Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.
Grants provide funding between $5,000 and $25,000 to organizations across the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania communities served by Provident Bank.
“We are thrilled to offer funding opportunities to some of the outstanding nonprofits that are continually raising up our community,” foundation Executive Director Samantha Plotino said.
“From medical services to educational programs to food banks, these organizations are very valuable to residents across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Additional funding will allow their various programs to continue to thrive and make an impact.”
newsworth Osley Hamill takes us to Englewood, New Jersey, where one organization managed to feed families despite the pandemic.
A Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without the gravy, as dozens of volunteers put the finishing touches on a very large but special Thanksgiving meal. Executive chef Dion Kukuta and his volunteers from Disabled Combat Veterans Youth Program have cooked this Thanksgiving feast for years, usually served to hundreds in the dining hall at St. Paul’s Church in Englewood.
But after COVID, their operation was forced to go mobile. We’re just waiting on two more bags. Volunteer Kyleen Austin making sure these now-packed meals get delivered to those in need, like the dozens of local senior citizens who lost their homes in August. This year. COVID was compounded with IDA. And we have the senior citizen building down the street where the residents have been displaced in another housing development next to it. So they’re in hotels. We’ve got four different turkeys. We have fried turkey, rotisserie turkey, maple brine turkey, and your regular roast turkey.
The more than 50 turkeys provided by Table to Table, the state’s first nonprofit organization that rescues and delivers perishable food from grocery stores and restaurants that would normally be thrown out. Vice President Julie Kinner says after the pandemic and rising grocery prices, the need is even greater. And they might be able to afford the basics or they might be getting the basics from other places. But it’s the things like the turkey or like these bigger meals for families that they’re not able to afford. A cherished tradition wrapped and delivered to those who need it most. A gift these volunteers say they look forward to giving every year. We just want people to know that no matter what has happened, that they are loved. In Englewood.
Credit: Angela Metville, news for New York.
Table to Table Honors Celebrity Chef David Burke and Essential Food Industry Workers from Inserra Supermarkets & HelloFresh at September 22, 2021 Virtual Chefs Gala
Guests will savor a 3-course David Burke-curated meal delivered to their door, and participate in charity auction hosted by Nicholas D. Lowry, from Antiques Roadshow.
New Jersey’s ‘Who’s Who’ can join Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and oldest food rescue program, at its 2021 Virtual Chefs Gala on Wednesday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. Honorees include internationally acclaimed celebrity Chef David Burke, a trustee and supporter of Table to Table since its inception more than 20 years ago. Also honored will be the essential workers of the food industry of Inserra Supermarkets and HelloFresh, who are critical in feeding our community. Presented by American Express, this exclusive, interactive experience features a delectable, 3-course meal curated by Chef David Burke and delivered to your door with special options for those out of the area. Plus, amazing travel, food, and wine packages will be featured during the high-end auction hosted by Nicholas D. Lowry, who’s seen on Antiques Roadshow. Special support is being provided by American Airlines, Crestron, Inserra Supermarkets and Summit Associates. Purchase tickets today!
2021 Chef Gala Honoree David Burke Fueled by passion, grit, and a knack for artful innovation, David Burke is one of the best known and most respected chefs in modern American cuisine. A leading pioneer in American cooking, Burke, a New Jersey native, is also recognized internationally for his revolutionary techniques, successful restaurant empire, and his many TV appearances. Additionally, his altruism is as extensive as his professional accomplishments, especially as it relates to Table to Table, where for upwards of 20 years David has been a devoted trustee of the Northern NJ food rescue program. David has graciously and generously contributed his time, support, and culinary expertise to increase the visibility of the organization and its mission. For this and so much more, Table to Table thanks you, Chef Burke!
2021 Chef Gala Honorees: Essential Workers of Inserra Supermarkets &HelloFresh Dedicated, hard working, essential workers in the food industry from Inserra ShopRites and HelloFresh took care of generously feeding New Jersey during the pandemic. When most were staying home, the teams at Inserra ShopRites and HelloFresh made sure that our community was fed. To all of those countless essential workers who went the extra mile, Table to Table salutes you!
To ensure on-time delivery, reservations must be made by September 13
