Overview
Imagine having to choose between paying for gas or buying milk? Or not having access to fresh fruits and vegetables? This is how nearly one million residents in New Jersey live.
Join us for a PSEG Social Impact Film Series film screening followed by a panel conversation on building food security in New Jersey.
The program is preceded by a cooking demonstration led by Chef Alexandra Charles who uses unprocessed ingredients commonly found in food pantries. Enjoy yummy samples and new recipes!
For those who struggle to obtain healthy food, the program will also include resources from partner organizations including Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Essex County, Mosaic — from NJ.com, Newark Water Coalition and hunger relief groups MEND, Toni’s Kitchen and Tree House Cares.
Following the screening, Jasmyne Beckford, Manager in Inclusive Solutions at Prudential Financial, will moderate a panel conversation on grassroots efforts to nourish New Jersey neighborhoods.
4:30PM Food preparation vendors
6:00PM Program begins
Panel
Dr. Joshua Ardise, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Hend El-Buri, Director, Nutrition & Food at Rutgers University–Newark
Balpreet Grewal-Virk, PhD, Senior Vice President of Community Health for RWJBarnabas Health
Elizabeth McCarthy, President and CEO of The Community FoodBank of New Jersey
Tanya Veltz, Co-Founder of Tree House Cares, a non-profit that provides essential resources to Newark’s most vulnerable populations.
Participate in a food drive to benefit MEND, Toni’s Kitchen and Tree House Cares. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations of the following items: boxes of shelf-stable milk, mayonnaise, boxes of pasta (including macaroni and cheese), canned tuna and chicken, rice, canned or dried beans, oatmeal, dried fruit, breakfast bars and ketchup and mustard (bottled or individually packaged). In addition, DoorDash is contributing gift cards to the participating food banks and pantries.
This free event is part of the third annual Prudential North to Shore Festival running June 14 – 29 in Newark and Asbury Park, and throughout the year in Atlantic City. A portion of all ticket sales will directly benefit Growing Healthy Pantries — a partnership between Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, FoodBank of South Jersey, Fulfill, Mercer Street Friends, Norwescap and Feeding America, which addresses food security statewide and supports 1,000 food pantries across the state’s 21 counties.
Sponsors:
