Hidden Hunger in West Windsor, Doreen Garelick

There are many good reasons to think that no one living in West Windsor is experiencing hunger. Our lovely town has top-ranked public schools, a central location between New York and Philadelphia, art and cultural attractions, a plentiful history, an award-winning farmers’ market, beautiful parks, and a median annual household income of about $162,000. So, it may surprise you to learn that in 2018, 3.1% of the 9,386 students (about 290 children) in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District met the low-income requirement for participating in the federal government’s free school meal programs. But that’s only a partial indicator of the levels of food insecurity in West Windsor. Older adults are also vulnerable to experiencing hunger and a 2020 study found that 6.1% of NJ seniors (60 years of age and older) were food insecure. Even families that usually enjoy a comfortable lifestyle can experience temporary food insecurity related to health conditions or unemployment.

Thankfully, Send Hunger Packing WW-P (SHuP WW-P), a program of Mercer Street Friends, raises funds to place food for the weekend in the backpacks of grades K - 6 food-insecure children in our school district every Friday that school is in session! SHuP WW-P also provides grocery store gift cards to hungry families in West Windsor and manages two Little Free Pantries in town. A Little Free Pantry is a small, crowdsourced collection of non-perishable foods that are available for free and 24/7 to anyone who is experiencing food insecurity. Please consider making a donation to SHuP WW-P or placing some non-perishable, healthy food in a West Windsor Little Free Pantry at West Windsor Arts Center, 952 Alexander Road or Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, 154 S. Mill Road. 

By now, you may be wondering why West Windsor has hundreds of food insecure children, gives grocery store gift cards to families who need some help putting enough food on the table, and hosts two small, community-driven food pantries? After all, the Garden State has over 10,000 farms and takes pride in its abundance of fresh apples, blueberries, corn, cranberries, peaches, and tomatoes! West Windsor has at least ten grocery and specialty food stores, and about thirty restaurants with diverse and delicious cuisines. Many people don’t realize that the problem of hunger that we face today, whether at the local, state, national or global level, is not caused by a lack of food. There is enough food for every person on Earth. Food insecurity is a problem of inefficiency and incoordination. That’s one reason the NJ Food Democracy Collaborative (NJFDC) was formed in 2020. It helps organize collaborative action among all the sectors of New Jersey’s complex food system, from farmers, manufacturers, and distributors, to consumers, healthcare institutions, and government, to solve systemic problems by building more efficiency, resilience, and equity. 

On December 9, the NJFDC will be hosting its second annual, free, virtual State of the Food System Symposium. You can register to attend and hear about the work accomplished across New Jersey this year to advance food justice and strengthen community food systems. 

This holiday season, YOU can be part of the solution to hunger in our community by learning more about New Jersey’s complex food system and making a donation to help provide more food to our neighbors who don’t have enough.  Before you enjoy the bounty of the season, give ease to a family in need. Share the abundance and DONATE TODAY!