New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate

09/10/2026

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The County of Somerset is continuing the fight against with a $30,000 grant-funded school meals program. The grant, which was awarded by the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA), will support Fueling Futures Somerset County to improve outreach, equity, and access to free and low-cost school meals for students.

“Currently, 4,435 children receive SNAP benefits and 13,688 children receive free or reduced-price meals at schools in Somerset County,” said Commissioner Elizabeth Graner. “Our students are the future of Somerset County and their ability to learn, grow, and succeed should not be hindered by food insecurity, or the stigma attached to it. Many families are unaware that they qualify for food assistance and benefit programs. This initiative will bridge the information gap between municipal school districts, residents, and food providers to create a community network that helps ensure no family or child is without food.”

The one-year pilot program will improve network referral systems between schools and food assistance organizations through OFSA’s Building Expanded Access to Nutritious School Meals Program (BEANS). During this trial period, the Somerset County Human Services Department will partner with a community-based agency to offer technical support and training for school districts and their staff members.

The county-wide program will span across 21 municipal school districts to reduce stigma, improve screenings for food insecurity, and streamline access to food resources for families and students. For more information about food assistance programs offered by Somerset County, visit https://www.somersetcountynj.gov/government/human-services/food-assistance.

09/10/2026

NJ Summer EBT families: Remember you have precisely 122 days (4 months) to use your Summer EBT funds. If you do not use all of the funds within that time, the money will be removed from your card. The 122-day countdown starts when the money is added to your card, not when the card arrives in the mail.

Issue and expiration dates are not printed on the card, so it’s important to check your account. How to check your card:

🥬Use the ConnectEBT app on your phone

🥬Visit NJFamiliesFirst.com or

🥬Call EBT Card Customer Service: 1-800-997-3333

We also recommend using NJFamiliesFirst.com and the ConnectEBT app to lock your card in between purchases to prevent your benefits from being stolen.

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

The Next Generation Farmer Program is available as a for based owners in support of their farm transfer and succession planning.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is providing up to $10,000 for each generation or party through the American Farmland Trust (AFT) Land Transfer Navigator Program. Eligible costs include professional services or infrastructure and equipment needed for a farm transfer. This means both the senior and junior generations (or the outgoing and incoming farmers if unrelated) can apply and receive the grant, i.e., farms could receive up to $20,000 to develop or implement their plans.

This opportunity is only open through June 2027 next year. Applications are reviewed on quarterly basis – future rounds close on September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30.

+ Learn more on the NJ Department of Agriculture's website: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/

+ See the Next Gen factsheet for Farm Transfer & Succession Support:https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/documents/nextgen/farmtransfersuccessionsupport.pdf

+ Watch the Next Gen webinar on the grants and other support for farm transfer and succession planning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYnQQQRcnk

09/09/2026

Students across New Jersey are starting a new school year, and eight community and county service providers across the state are receiving $30K grant awards from the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) to help local families in their counties tap into school and childcare meals programs. However, that isn’t all – a ninth grantee is receiving a $90K award to work with families across three South Jersey counties and a tenth grantee is receiving $98K to do this work statewide, ensuring no county is overlooked. The grants are being awarded through the Building Expanded Access to Nutritious School Meals (BEANS) Program.

"Here in New Jersey, we believe the work of ending hunger and building lasting food security calls on all of us, because it benefits all of us, and across all of our counties, there exists a range of service programs where neighbors are actively trying to help each other and themselves, whether that be through schools, organizations, healthcare systems, municipal and county offices, food pantries, the private sector or somewhere else entirely," said Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. "School meals continue to be one of the most direct methods we have to actually reach kids and truly ensure the food they're eating is nutritious. That's why I was proud to see my bill, A3882, which will make sure families know about school meals programs signed into law earlier this year. Too often, families qualify for these programs but simply don't know it, and I'm proud to see so much support for something as fundamental as feeding our children."

“School meal programs including the National School Lunch (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP) are an underutilized but essential tool in reducing statewide food insecurity, as they provide as many as three meals a day plus snacks to students,” said Dr. Dan Dychtwald, OFSA Policy Manager and Team Lead for School Meals Strategy.

The BEANS grantees will advance New Jersey’s broader food security strategy by building and supporting local partnerships to advance community-driven food security approaches as described in Focus Area 3 of the Statewide Food Security Strategic Plan.

Read the full announcement: https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/news/ -Grantees

Browse the grantees’ profiles – out today – to discover the details of their planned work: https://nj.gov/foodsecurity/food-security/strategic-plan/grant-initiatives/

Learn more about the Food Security Strategic Plan:
https://nj.gov/foodsecurity/food-security/strategic-plan/

Acenda Integrated Health, AtlantiCare, Burlington County, The Historic Calvary Baptist Church , Greater Newark Conservancy, Hunger Free New Jersey, Loving Our Cities, Replenish, Somerset County, NJ

09/09/2026

OFSA is excited to highlight another breakout session as part of this year’s Garden State Conference on Food Security: Closing the Gap for Older Adult Food Access.

We’re honored to have NJ Department of Human Services Deputy Commissioner for Aging / Disability Services, Kaylee McGuire, moderate this panel that includes leadership from local government, community-based organizations, and statewide support on behalf of NJ’s older adult population:
- Heather deJong, Meals on Wheels of Ocean County
- Malikah Morris, Burlington County
- Cathy Rowe, New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well

This conversation will lift up established and emerging models trying to close the gap in making nourishing food more readily accessible to local older adults. Panelists will also discuss the strengths of NJ’s multigenerational households and kinship families, and the opportunities that exist help them reclaim their power and agency to actively participate in their local food system and community alike.

In-person space is limited – register soon to secure your spot!

+ RSVP here & select the Older Adults panel as your preferred breakout: https://form.jotform.com/njofsa/2026-ofsa-food-security-conference

+ Learn more about the Conference on OFSA’s website: https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/our-work/annual-conference/

+ Read bios from this panel:https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/documents/2026-annual-conference/OFSA_Conference_2026_Older_Adult_Session.pdf

09/08/2026

From our network and news feeds, relevant to H.R. 1, if you’re not already aware: the NJ Department of Human Services (NJDHS) has developed and distributed to counties, a resource packet regarding the federal changes to NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid with a particular focus on non-citizen disenrollment outreach. The packet includes:

+ A quick reference guide for organizations’ frontline teams that covers what is happening, and what teams can do to help NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid members now through Dec. 31, 2026.

+ The NJDHS-produced, “OBBBA/H.R.1 Stakeholder Guidance for the Non-citizen Disenrollment Process” covering steps organizations can take as assistors helping NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid members get their letter, gather documents and submit them. The first few pages of this guide are shown in the attached images.

+ A Non-citizen Outreach Communication Toolkit to communicate H.R. 1 changes to NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid members.

Reach out to your County Department of Human Services to request a copy of these resources directly.

09/07/2026

More school-age children now qualify for free school meals for the first time, thanks to New Jersey Expanded Income Eligibility (NJEIE) guidelines. Many parents simply need to complete a School Meals and Summer EBT Application to learn that their family qualifies.

This two-minute video produced by the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate and featuring K-12 teachers, community leaders and members of the New Jersey Legislature explores and explains how more families can and should complete a school meals application to harness the power of school meals to nourish their children, save time and money, and ensure a brighter future.

▶️Watch the video and visit your child’s school district website to complete an application for school meals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyDywgW5zbM

09/03/2026

On Tuesday, October 13, OFSA will present the third annual Garden State Conference on Food Security.

Based on feedback from past years, we’re thrilled to feature several breakout sessions in the afternoon, including a panel discussion on Food Insecurity in Higher Education: Enhancing Campus & Community Ecosystems.

Moderated by Jacob Farbman from the NJ's Community Colleges, this panel includes leadership from New Jersey’s colleges and universities as well as the state, each of whom serve as critical partners in building a stronger food security system for students and their families:

Carla Vitola, Kean University

Lauren Pfisterer, Monmouth University

Josefina Ewins, New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

Maura Cavanagh-Dick, Salem Community College

Whether you work in higher education, hunger relief, public policy, philanthropy, health care, or community services, this session will offer timely data, practical partnership ideas, and a chance to help shape solutions across sectors.

In-person space is limited – register soon to secure your spot!

+ RSVP here & select the Higher Education panel as your preferred breakout: https://form.jotform.com/njofsa/2026-ofsa-food-security-conference

+ Learn more about the Conference on OFSA’s website: https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/our-work/annual-conference/

+ Read bios from the higher education panel:https://www.nj.gov/foodsecurity/documents/2026-annual-conference/OFSA_Conference_2026_Higher_Education_Session.pdf

09/02/2026

: In his monthly letters to readers of The New Jersey Farmer this year, New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Wengryn has been highlighting the work of every division in the department, and how that work translates to New Jerseyans’ daily lives. His July letter for the “Off the Secretary’s Desk” featured the collective impact work of the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate , an “in-but-not-of” agency linked to the NJDA while established in the Executive Branch. Whether you’re a longtime partner of OFSA or hearing about the office for the first time, Secretary Wengryn calls OFSA an important partner to our state’s agricultural community and details key accomplishments to date in this letter. We couldn’t be prouder to partner with agriculture in the ways we do and we remain committed to doing so.

Take a look back at Secretary Wengryn’s letter: https://americanfarm.com/articles/newjerseyfarmer/ofsa-an-important-partner-to-states-agriculture-off-the-secretarys-desk/

Browse the NJ Food Security Strategic Plan, which outlines five focus areas, including Focus Area 2: Expand Community-Based Food Infrastructure and Market Channel Creation for Enhanced Ongoing Food Access, Utilization, and Availability:https://nj.gov/foodsecurity/documents/strategic-plan/NJ_FoodSecurity_3Yr_StrategicPlan_010726_FINAL.pdf

Learn more about the many teams that make up the NJ Department of Agriculture and their specialties in this archive of Secretary Wengryn’s letters: https://americanfarm.com/author/By+Ed+Wengryn/

(Editor’s note: Ed Wengryn is the New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture.) There may be no higher calling in all of agriculture than ensuring that residents near you – actually, just about anywhere – are secure in being able to access nourishing food. It seems odd to think that in a country and s...