The Food Brigade

The Food Brigade's co-founders, Karen & Carmine DeMarco, are in the running to be named "America's Favorite Couple". If they win, it would result in a $20,000.00 donation to the work of The Food Brigade in the fight against food insecurity in our area. Please vote! You can vote once per day for free, or you submit multiple votes in their name at once with a donation which helps out the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Thanks for your consideration, and here's the link: https://americasfavcouple.org/2026/karen-and-carmine

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank The Community FoodBank of New Jersey New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate Fulfill Mercer Street Friends Norwescap New Jersey New Jersey Economic Development Authority Food Bank of South Jersey York County Food Bank

Vote for Karen And Carmine as America's Favorite Couple! One couple will share their love story in a Variety Magazine advertorial, take home $20,000, and enjoy a triple date with Jeff & Emilie Goldblum, plus Charlie Day & Mary Elizabeth Ellis.

STEADY INCREASES IN THE NEED FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE: At our Free Community Market (food pantry) in Clifton, since January of this year, The Food Brigade has seen an increase of 10% in the number of households coming to us for food assistance. And we need you to help US help THEM.

The Food Brigade distributes food to local families & residents who have verified they are actually dealing with food insecurity and truly need the food they receive from us. We do NOT require proof of income. We do NOT require documentation (other than to show you're a New Jersey resident). We do NOT have lengthy registration forms. In short, it is NOT a difficult or burdensome process to register to receive food assistance from our organization. In fact, we even offer the convenience of online registration.

The food we distribute is safe and fit for human consumption. We have staff on hand who have completed food safety training and received their Food Handler Certification. All non-perishable food items (cans, boxes, etc.) are maintained at a temperature between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is especially critical in these 100+ degree days we are currently experiencing.

We need your help to continue to adequately serve local residents in need. So please, donate your excess food to us. Or hold a food drive - through your family, your church, your social or community group, your school - and donate the food you collect. You can also volunteer with us, and experience the fulfillment of helping to feed a neighbor one-to-one.. You can make a monetary donation: not only are we a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, we are also vetted to be able to conduct fundraising in the State of New Jersey, through registration with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Consumer Affairs, Charities Registration Section (we're Charity Registration No. CH4394200). So, please help us to help our neighbors in need. Thanks, and have a wonderful Independence Day holiday!

☀️School may be out soon, but your child’s access to nutritious meals doesn’t have to be.

As parents, you’re constantly working to provide for your family and make sure your children have what they need to learn, grow, and thrive. This summer, free meal programs in Clifton can help support those efforts by ensuring children continue to have access to healthy meals while school is out.

Every child deserves the opportunity to have a healthy, active, and successful summer.

📍 Free summer meals are available for children throughout Clifton.

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Because when children are nourished, they can focus on what matters most—learning, growing, and enjoying being kids.

THAT'S A LOT OF PEANUTS! Today, The Food Brigade received a donation of 400 cases of Planters Peanuts. Each case contains four boxes of 12 packs (1.75 oz. each) of peanuts, for a total of 19,200 individual packs of peanuts! Peanuts are nutrient-dense, packed with plant-based protein, healthy unsaturated fats, and dietary fiber. Regular consumption of peanuts promotes heart health, aids in weight management, and delivers essential vitamins and antioxidants that lower the risk of chronic diseases.

But 19,200 bags of peanuts is more than enough for our clients at our locations in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties; so we're happy to share our good fortune with our friends and colleagues operating food pantries in the area, including CUMAC: Feeding People and Changing Lives in Paterson, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson/Father English Community Center in Paterson, and Bessie Green Community in Newark. (If your pantry, organization, or group would like to join our network of sharing and caring partners, and have resources you would like to mutually share, please reach out to us at [email protected].)

The Food Brigade is a proud Partner Agency of The Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! The impact of The Food Brigade, and the number of our neighbors in need who receive assistance, is the result of our amazing volunteers. Meet two of our recent Volunteers of the Month at our Clifton location. Chris White (left, with Food Brigade president Karen DeMarco) has been volunteering with The Food Brigade since September 2024, and is an integral part of our food rescue and warehouse operations. Paul Beshaw (right) joined us at the beginning of the year and "earned his stripes" early on with his work in our warehouse and pantry stocking operations. Thank you, Chris and Paul, for all that you do on behalf of local residents dealing with food insecurity!

Want to contribute to your community, while being part of a team where you get to work alongside warm, caring, kind-hearted people? Then "enlist" in the Brigade! Detailed information about volunteering, including our online volunteer application form, is at www.FoodPantryVolunteer.com. Sign up today!

[The Food Brigade is a proud Partner Agency of The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, with locations in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties.]

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey Passaic County Passaic County Food Policy Council UnitedWay Passaic Clifton City Manager Clifton Health Department New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate