CAPE MAY — More than ever, area food banks rely on the local community for donations and funds to support food-insecure families.
With rising inflation and recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and upcoming changes to New Jersey FamilyCare, demand on area food banks is rising exponentially.
“Thanksgiving is going to be rough for a lot of families this year because of costs,” Cape May Community Food Closet Executive Director Nancy Hanslowe said Oct. 28 in an interview with the Star and Wave. “Last year turkey was pretty cheap and this year it’s $2.99 a pound, and that’s a wholesale price.”
The Cape May Community Food Closet, located at 500 Hughes St., collects donations on specific days or by appointment. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves Cape May, Cape May Point, West Cape May and Lower Township. Its mission is to distribute groceries to low-income community members.
The Food Closet distributes food twice a month based on a predefined schedule. Distributions include products the government does not provide and that cannot be purchased with SNAP funds, including soap, toothpaste, deodorant and toilet paper.
“Honestly, we will take whatever anyone really has to offer,” Hanslowe said, adding that the need to provide for regular family meals is more urgent than ever.
Items needed include peanut butter, canned tuna, cereal, canned vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce, boxed rice and any dry goods. Hanslowe said these are general staples the Food Closet tries to have on hand for neighbors who come in or have items delivered.
“The people who need food pantries are mostly the working poor; some of them are working two to three jobs,” Hanslowe said. “And if they’re not working, most of them are senior citizens who have worked most of their lives and are living on fixed incomes that aren’t keeping up with the pace of inflation.”
Ahead of Thanksgiving, traditional items requested include boxed stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, instant potatoes, rolls and pies.
Hanslowe recommends that people check with donation locations to ensure they can accept chilled items. The Food Closet offers turkey, turkey breasts, whole chicken roasters and ham.
Hanslowe said the Food Closet represents neighbors supporting neighbors.
“These are folks you know and see; they might help babysit your kids, be a teacher’s aide, help with your lawn care,” she said. “I think one of the most urgent things we can do, all year round, is really care for our neighbors that might be struggling. Be on the lookout for your neighbors who might need a hand.”
For more information, including donation needs and drop-off times, visit cmfoodcloset.org or call (609) 600-7715 to schedule a donation.
Community FoodBank
of New Jersey
Social service agencies in the region are usually busy this time of year providing holiday meals and gifts to those in need.
According to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), more than 48 million Americans are food insecure, meaning they may not have access to enough nutritious food for their family. In New Jersey, 1.2 million people are food insecure, including more than 330,000 children.
“We’re seeing a new population at food pantries, which is people who lost SNAP benefits or even people working two jobs, but things have just gotten so expensive that they really can’t make ends meet,” Elizabeth McCarthy, president and CEO of CFBNJ, told the Star and Wave.
The CFBNJ serves numerous counties, including Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union. The organization works with more than 800 partner agencies across 11 counties that provide food and other services.
“Most people are coming to us and going into a grocery store; they’re not necessarily getting all their food from us,” McCarthy said. “Definitely getting things like canned tuna, canned chicken and peanut butter, things that have a lot of protein and are expensive.”
For Thanksgiving, McCarthy said the organization collects canned vegetables that pair with a traditional meal, cornbread mix and anything one might want to serve to their own family during the holiday.
“We also collect pancake mix; sometimes it’s kind of nice for people that morning to be able to have a nice breakfast,” McCarthy said. “We also collect donations of turkeys, ham, chickens, but ask [people] to call ahead and arrange it with us since those require temperature control.”
Additionally, donations of high-protein items that are expensive, such as canned tuna, canned chicken and peanut butter, are always needed. McCarthy said these types of items are a good way to provide nutrition for families.
She also noted that not everyone has large Thanksgiving dinners.
“There are different cultures and it might be rice and beans or really nutrient-dense foods that families might enjoy,” she said.
Food banks stock more than just pantry staples, and many have shelves for basic hygiene needs such as soap and shampoo.
“People don’t necessarily think of a food bank for this, but we also [collect] diapers and period products, because those are things people can’t use their SNAP benefits on,” she said. “It’s always kind of shocking; it’s the year 2026, and we have girls skipping school and women skipping work because they don’t have period products.”
McCarthy said food insecurity exists everywhere and it is often people one might know in the community.
“There’s a kid on your son’s soccer team whose family is food insecure; there is somebody in their class; somebody you see in church or in line at the grocery store and you might not realize that they’re struggling, but they are,” she said. “Think of the wealthiest town you can think of in New Jersey and even that Zip Code has people who are food insecure.”
Supporting area food banks is a way to contribute to the overall community, McCarthy added.
“There are also really easy ways to volunteer, whether in Egg Harbor Township or in our mobile pantry or the pantry in your community,” she said. “It’s something families like to do together because it is a really concrete way of giving back.”
She added that even young kids can help with sorting through food donations.
“It’s a really nice way to do something as a group that makes you not only feel like you’re contributing, but you actually are contributing to really helping your neighbors,” she said.
For more information, visit www.cfbnj.org.
– By RACHEL SHUBIN/For the Cape May Star and Wave
