Days before Thanksgiving, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin launched an online portal to help New Jerseyans find food banks and other resources to keep families fed.
The website, EndingHungerNJ.com, contains a list of food pantries and food banks throughout the state and compiles legislation addressing hunger that’s been passed under Coughlin, the longest-serving speaker in state history.
“As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded that while many of us are preparing to share meals with the people we love, far too many families are still unsure of how they will put food on the table,” Coughlin said in the announcement. “That is not acceptable to me, it is not acceptable in New Jersey, and it is the reason why we’ve taken the position that hunger is not inevitable. It’s a problem we can solve when government, nonprofits, businesses, and neighbors all pull in the same direction.”
Last month’s record-breaking federal government shutdown led to the temporary suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, which prompted Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a state of emergency. Some 800,000 New Jerseyans, almost half of whom are children, rely on SNAP benefits, according to state officials. The state of emergency ended about a week ago after federal SNAP money had resumed flowing.
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill will join Union City Mayor Brian Stack later on Tuesday to participate in the mayor’s annual giveaway of turkeys to residents. The Brian Stack Civic Association said it expects to distribute more than 30,000 turkeys before Thanksgiving.
Coughlin touted legislation approved under his speakership, including the creation of the Office of the Food Security Advocate, a cabinet-level agency helmed by Mark Dinglasan. The speaker also highlighted increased investments into food assistance progrms and the expansion of free lunches in schools.
“New Jersey is at its best when we look out for one another. Ending hunger is not an abstract goal for me—it’s personal,” Coughlin wrote in a letter on the website. “I’ve met parents who skip meals so their kids can eat, seniors stretching a fixed income, college students choosing between textbooks and dinner. That’s not the New Jersey we believe in, and it’s not the future we’re willing to accept.”
