Food insecurity remains a significant issue across the U.S. In New Jersey, a recent study found that more than 1 million people are food insecure, a 22% increase over the previous year. Zufall Health’s “Zufall Eats” program has become a powerful ally in combating this challenge for low-income communities in Morris and Warren counties and beyond. 
Zufall Health received a $100,000 grant from Impact100 Garden State in 2020 to purchase, outfit and staff a mobile food truck for the Zufall Eats program. The two-year Impact grant period saw more than 20,675 meals delivered by the mobile food truck, an especially important function as that time frame included Covid lockdowns.
Since then, Zufall Health has continued to find creative ways to deploy the van and expand its reach in delivering nutritious food and essential health services. These include supporting agriculture, food access and utilization of federal nutrition programs.
New ways to serve
At the end of the Impact grant period, Zufall Eats was folded into Zufall’s SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) program with funding for a Mobile Food Access Coordinator. As a result, Zufall Eats was able to transport more than 30,000 pounds of food, including rescued food that would otherwise have been discarded.
In recent years, Zufall Health has further expanded its programing through:
- Launching pop-up markets, which have served nearly 4,000 families with free fresh produce.
- Creating a produce prescription program in partnership with America’s Grow-A-Row and Zufall’s Wisewomen program to provide fresh, local produce to improve women’s health.
- Hosting health events at produce distributions to give access to dental, physical and behavioral health resources, including blood pressure screenings, Zumba classes and fiber-rich food demonstrations.
- Delivering food bags to the homeless that include essential kitchen utensils like can openers.
- Forging partnerships with local organizations, including RWJ Somerset and Healthier Somerset, to sustain the Farmer’s Market Produce Bag program and distribute 1,000 bags of fresh produce with nutrition education throughout Somerset County.
- Relaunching the WIC Farm Market Nutrition program for families with young children, reinforcing the importance of early nutrition.
Looking ahead
“When we award $100,000 grants, our hope is that the new program or program expansion we’re supporting becomes a springboard for broadening a nonprofit’s impact and attracting additional funding,” says Celeste Campos, President of Impact100 Garden State. “We see how the original proposal from Zufall for the food van has transformed into a full range of programs in the past two years.”
Zufall Eats continues to build on its success with an eye on future expansion. As demand continues to grow, the need for additional vehicles is evident; the single van currently operates primarily in Sussex County, with some service in Warren and Morris counties, while demand also rises in Hunterdon and Somerset counties.
As the program seeks to add more vehicles and expand its reach, Zufall Health’s commitment to serving vulnerable populations remains steadfast, ensuring that Zufall Eats can continue to transform lives—one meal and one health service at a time.