New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate

08/18/2026

From our news feeds, relevant to H.R. 1, if you're not already aware of this informational resource:

Food Research & Action Center 's SNAP Participation Tracker compiles the most recent USDA data to show how enrollment has changed since January 2025 and where declines are occurring most sharply. It covers monthly participation through April 2026, highlighting the net change since the start of this presidential administration and the month-to-month shifts that reveal when and where people are losing access to food assistance.

https://frac.org/snap-participation-data-january-2025-present

08/17/2026

OFSA’s New Jersey Food Security Strategic Plan highlights many key terms to help define and strengthen food security efforts across the state.

For example, community-supported agriculture (CSA), food enterprise, and local procurement refer to building connections between local growers and consumers in support of communities. Aggregation and food hubs focus on infrastructure that moves food more efficiently, making it easier to deliver local food where it’s needed most.

Read the full Strategic Plan to learn more about these key terms and how OFSA is advancing critical food security work across : https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/food-security/strategic-plan/

08/17/2026

Morning school bells are ringing soon, and just in time for classes, the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate is premiering a new series to help New Jersey parents, schools and communities better understand the power of school meals in building food security. First up are:

▶️A step-by-step guide offering parents practical, how-to information about completing the School Meals and Summer EBT Application.

▶️A FAQ piece covering the questions parents and guardians frequently ask about completing the School Meals and Summer EBT Application for their child.

Big thanks to the administration and staff at F.W. Holbein School in the school district for the warm hospitality to film these first two videos in their classrooms and hallways!

Upcoming August releases will include uplifting explainers about existing nutrition programs and more, filmed inside school libraries, cafeterias and classrooms with parents, educators, school food service staff, community advocates and elected leaders from across the state.

Watch, follow and share the playlist over the coming weeks!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAOU_KIPrpE8&si=rg96bTV0uPbIXHEW

New Jersey Department of Agriculture
New Jersey Department of Education
Speaker Craig J. Coughlin
Brave Makers

Just in time for the 2026-27 school year, the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) has produced a new video series to help New Jersey paren...

08/14/2026

We’ll be debuting the first of these bright and early Monday morning!

Shoutout to Brave Makers and all the partners in this project. Without your voices and support, this campaign could not have come together in a way we are so excited to share. So many more thank you notes are coming!

08/13/2026

to a great site visit when OFSA’s Dr. Jenny Schrum met with the Flemington Area Food Pantry team last month. This pantry team is one of a few local partners across the state taking part in a joint collaboration among New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate, More Than Food Consulting and NORC at the University of Chicago to elevate NJ pantry locations as community resource hubs by implementing an evidence-informed, warm referral model.

If you’re a subscriber of the More Than Food Consulting newsletter, then you already read about this initiative in their June issue. Here is an excerpt, provided with their permission:

“More Than Food Consulting is proud to partner with the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (NJOFSA) and NORC at the University of Chicago on an exciting research project that will support six medium-capacity food pantries across New Jersey in becoming Community Resource Hubs, with generous support from two New Jersey-based funders.

This initiative will explore whether offering warm referrals to community services can improve food security, financial well-being, perceived stress, and other outcomes for pantry guests. Through a light-touch, evidence-informed warm referral model, six pantries will receive training, tools, and coaching to create welcoming environments that emphasize dignity, choice, and personalized support. Our goal is to create a stronger, smarter, and more connected charitable food network, with the potential to strengthen food pantries across New Jersey and beyond.

As the project moves into the next phase, participating pantries will begin trainings, neighbor surveys, and warm referral activities while the research team documents lessons learned and evaluates outcomes. We look forward to sharing updates and insights from this work along the way, so stay tuned.”

OFSA is excited to offer continued support to the Flemington Area Food Pantry and other participating local agencies to enhance the ways in which they serve their neighbors! Many thanks to MTFC CEO Katie S. Martin for her ongoing partnership to take charitable feeding work to the next level.

+ To sign up for the More Than Food Consulting, LLC newsletter, click here: https://www.ittakesmorethanfood.org/newsletter. The next issue comes out in September.

08/12/2026

Meet our from the Food System Enhancements Program (FSEP) cohort, @ Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces (C.R.O.P.S.), led by Alicia Newcomb as Project Director!

In five words or less, this work is: Farms and Food Access, Atlantic City, NJ

With FSEP funds, and in collaboration with ’s Organic Farm as well as additional community partners, C.R.O.P.S. is advancing the Food Hub on Farmer’s Row to strengthen food infrastructure in the Pacific Avenue corridor and the Chelsea neighborhood while expanding market access for New Jersey-grown products.

Farmer’s Row activities include:
+ Strengthening produce aggregation
+ Expanding cold storage and transportation capacity
+ Coordinating relationships between producers and purchasers

This project will continue to build and expand meaningful storage, capacity, and distribution networks while connecting local farms to more neighborhoods, small businesses, and institutions.

+ Learn more about this project: https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/food-security/strategic-plan/grant-initiatives/approved/food-hub-on-farmers-row.shtml

+ Meet our other grantees: NJ.gov/FoodSecurity/GrantInitiatives

08/11/2026

For OFSA’s community partners, we encourage you to help the neighbors and residents you serve to prepare for upcoming changes to through .

The DMAHS activity requirements checker can help individuals find out if new requirements apply to them, or if they may have an exemption.

Requirements begin January 1, 2027.

Encourage NJFamilyCare members to check their status and share this resource widely: https://njfcchecker.nj.gov/

08/10/2026

Feeding America released its Map the Meal Gap 2024 report.

Important New Jersey takeaways include:

+ In 2024, an estimated 1.2 million individuals (13%) experienced food insecurity in New Jersey, lower than the US national rate of 14.4%.

+ Estimated food insecurity is higher among children (

08/07/2026

Coming soon to a theater – or maybe a school district website – near you... a series of videos to get the word out about the power of ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

Check out the trailer of OFSA Executive Director and proud girl dad Mark Dinglasan’s interview.

The series will feature school administrators, principals, teachers, parents and other caring adults who share an understanding that school meals are a way to nourish students’ success, regardless of their situation at home. Plus, the NJ Expanded Income Eligibility guidelines mean more New Jersey families can qualify for free school meals when they submit an application to their school.

+ It’s not too soon to complete the school meals application for the 2026-27 school year. Contact your child’s school to request an application, or visit your child's school district website to submit an online application.

08/07/2026