31-03-2025
These South Jersey neighborhoods dubbed NJ's worst 'food deserts.' A new grant may help.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is facilitating $30 million in competitive grant funding for food security projects.
The money is aimed at helping 14 of the state's established food deserts. And a few South Jersey communities are at the top of the list.
The statewide pilot, known officially as the Food Equity and Economic Development in New Jersey (FEED NJ) Pilot Program, comes after the success of a similar grant program that launched last year focusing on Atlantic City.
Funding for NJ FEED comes from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority's Food Desert Relief Tax Credit Auctions in 2023 and 2024.
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What's unique about this pilot program, said Tara Colton, the authority's chief economic security officer, is that it shows the state is viewing and prioritizing food insecurity as an economic problem, not just a human services problem.
"It's quite meaningful," Colton said. "We're excited to be pushing those boundaries."
Grants of up to $500,000 are to be awarded to both nonprofit and for-profit entities working to solve issues of food insecurity, affordability and nutritional access in a number of pre-identified food deserts.
'Expanding access to healthy and affordable food in every New Jersey community is crucially important to the continued economic security and health of our state,' New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a press release.
'The projects that will receive grant funding through FEED NJ will increase availability of affordable food in the communities that need it most, alleviating the strain on families and creating a stronger and fairer New Jersey.'
Through an "incredibly rigorous (and) comprehensive" process, Colton said the authority was able to identify a list of 50 Food Desert Communities in New Jersey in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
The labeling process considered more than 24 variables, such as areas that may have many food options but not many that are healthy or nutritious, communities with limited internet access or access to online ordering, disconnections between federal and state labels on food deserts and lacking affordability of healthier food options.
FEED NJ grant applicants must focus their projects on at least one of the following "highest-need" communities, though they may opt to serve additional communities as well.
The top 15 Food Desert Communities in the state are ranked as follows (and the program excludes projects focusing on No. 2, Atlantic City/Ventnor, which is the sole focus of the existing grant pilot program through the NJEDA):
North, Central and South Camden/Woodlynne.
Atlantic City/Ventnor.
Newark South.
Newark West.
Camden East/Pennsauken.
Trenton West.
Newark North and Central.
Newark East.
Salem City.
Passaic City.
Trenton East.
Bridgeton/Fairfield/Lawrence Township.
Paterson South.
New Brunswick City.
Paterson North.
According to the authority, the highest-need Food Desert Communities are made up of 567,349 residents and span across eight counties and 11 municipalities.
Applications for NJEDA's NJ FEED Pilot Program close April 3 at 5 p.m. and can be accessed through the NJEDA website.
Applicants are able to request financing of between $50,000 and $500,000 for their project and projects must have been in existence for at least two years in order to qualify.
According to the application website, proposals with the ability to demonstrate a track record providing services related to Food Deser Communities, food insecurity or food access will receive higher scores on their application.
The grant money can be used for new and existing projects, according to the application. Chosen applicants can propose project completion with 12 or 24 months for their grant agreement.
"There's not one cause ... there's not one solution," Colton said, expressing excitement to see the ways applicants are thinking creatively to find solutions for food-insecure areas.
"(The goal is to) infuse a number of different approaches into these communities."
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Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@ And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: NJEDA funds $30 million in grants for food deserts in New Jersey
