Princeton NJ Non-Profit Announcements

JFCS Pilots New Food Security Initiative With Area Hospitals

PRINCETON, NJ - JFCS of Greater Mercer County, a leading nonprofit organization offering social services to thousands of area people of all ages and backgrounds, is piloting a grocery delivery program for food insecure individuals discharged from area hospitals.

Funded primarily by the Mercer County Office of Food Security with additional funds from the Community Foundation of New Jersey, the JFCS pilot initiative partners with the area hospitals: Capital Health (Trenton and Hopewell locations), Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – Hamilton. Patients identified as food insecure through the respective hospitals' intake and screening for Social Determinants of Health will be referred to the JFCS program to receive direct delivery of groceries in the weeks following their discharge.

The program capitalizes on JFCS infrastructure, including an existing grocery delivery through DoorDash. Launched in April 2023 with funding by the United Way of Greater Mercer County, the existing JFCS DoorDash service targets homebound or disabled individuals who cannot otherwise access available pantry services.

"We know that accessibility is key when addressing food security," says Michelle Schwalbe, JFCS Executive Director. "We have made the fresh, nutritious food of our pantry more accessible through our mobile pantry program, launched in 2019, and in recent years through our DoorDash program. Partnering with area hospitals is a great next step, reaching food insecure individuals when they are in an even more vulnerable and precarious position following a hospital stay."

The pilot program will begin accepting referrals directly from area hospitals in August 2025.

"We unfortunately see significant challenges in obtaining healthy food for many of our patients being discharged," notes Eric Schwartz, MD, MBA, FACP, Executive Director, Capital Health – Institute for Urban Care, VP, Community Health & Transformation. "The opportunity to provide healthy food for patients being discharged, will go a long way to improving the overall health outcomes of our community."

ABOUT JFCS HUNGER PREVENTION: Programs are focused on nutrition and include a food pantry as well as mobile food pantry distributions; a Kosher Cafe and Kosher Meals on Wheels for vulnerable seniors; and the full support of additional JFCS services or referral to our network of partners. In 2024, JFCS distributed 19,032 bags of food through onsite and mobile pantries, a 39 percent increase from the year before. In addition, more than 12,000 hot meals were served or delivered to seniors. jfcsonline.org