Official Site of The State of New Jersey

This work in approximately five words: Collective Impact

The New Brunswick Emergency Food System Strategic Coordination project is supported by OFSA's NJ Food Security Research, Outreach, and Organizing for Trusted (Community) Engagement and Data (ROOTED) grant program. New Brunswick Tomorrow, alongside REPLENISH, Emanuel Lutheran Church, Rutgers University’s Ralph W. Voorhees Center for Civic Engagement, and Rutgers University NJ Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, is strengthening coordination among a network of emergency food providers serving residents throughout Middlesex County, with a focus on the New Brunswick area.
 
Through the Feeding New Brunswick Network, project partners are building a more connected, efficient, and equitable emergency food system by improving communication, information sharing, and collaborative planning among food assistance organizations. Regular convenings, shared data practices, and strategic planning activities will help participating organizations better understand community needs, identify service gaps, and reduce duplication of efforts across the local food assistance network.
 
A key component of the project is the development of a virtual food resource map to help service providers, and community organizations locate available food assistance resources and better understand the local food access landscape. By creating a shared understanding of existing services and unmet needs, partners are better positioned to coordinate resources and direct support where it is needed most.
 
The project strengthens relationships among emergency food providers while creating new opportunities for data-informed decision-making and collaborative problem-solving. This project advances the New Jersey Food Security Strategic Plan through Strategy 1.3 Data Visualization and Dissemination and Strategy 3.2 County-level Coordination.