Food Bank of South Jersey
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Food Bank of South Jersey
EIN: 22-2623089
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
The Food Bank of South Jersey exists to provide an immediate solution to the urgent problem of hunger by providing food to people in need, teaching them to eat nutritiously, and helping them to find sustainable ways to improve their lives.
Notes from the nonprofit
The Food Bank of South Jersey exists to provide an immediate solution to the urgent problem of hunger by providing food to people in need, teaching them to eat nutritiously, and helping them to find sustainable ways to improve their lives. We like to say we are not just the Food Bank of South Jersey…we are the Food Bank FOR South Jersey. We are the largest provider of emergency food assistance in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem counties. We’ve been serving our neighbors in South Jersey since 1985. Of the people we serve, 33% are children under age 18, 54% are adults aged 18 to 64 and the remaining 13% are seniors over 65. The three pillars of our work are: - Alleviating hunger by providing healthy food to those in need - Providing information and education on how to eat nutritiously - Helping people find sustainable ways to improve their lives
Ruling year
1986
President & CEO
Fred C. Wasiak
Main address
1501 John Tipton Blvd
Pennsauken, NJ 08110 USA
EIN
22-2623089
Food aid
Food banks
Population served
Children and youth
Adults
Seniors
Families
NTEE code
Food Service, Free Food Distribution Programs (K30)
Food Banks, Food Pantries (K31)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
In the United States today, there are over 40 million food-insecure people. Food insecurity refers to USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. Food-insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods. What does food insecurity look like in New Jersey? Today, there are more than 865,900 people living with food insecurity in New Jersey. Of these, 260,340 are children. In South Jersey, more than 136,750 people – 1 in 9 adults and 1 in every 8 children – are struggling with food insecurity in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties alone. The total number of food-insecure children living in this four-county region is 38,890.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Kids Cafe/Kidz Pack
For after-school assistance, our Kids Cafe program supplies dinner and nutritious snacks in safe, supervised environments. For assistance on weekend, when school
meals are not available, our Kidz Pack program bridges the gap. Every Friday during the school year, FBSJ provides at-risk school children with nutritionally-balanced grocery items to help sustain them over the weekend. This assures consistent nutrition for all and helps stretch the family budget.
Twilight Harvest
Through our Twilight Harvest program which includes a federal supplemental food program, FBSJ relieves the economic pressure that many seniors feel. Each
month, we deliver boxes with food and ingredients directly to low-income senior complexes and living facilities. Seniors are able to prepare two weeks worth of
balanced meals from our supplies, getting a timely boost that contributes to their physical and mental well-being.
Summer Meals
For assistance during the summer, our Summer Meals Program picks up where school feeding programs end. We supply breakfast and lunches Monday through
Friday, for 10 summer weeks, to thousands of children attending camps, learning centers, and similar settings, so that consistent access to food is not jeopardized
during the long summer recess. With the addition of the “Bus Stop Café” – a renovated and air conditioned school bus featuring a new interior design with a built-in dining room – children gather together to enjoy meals and socialize. The program offers peace of mind to parents, too – as it takes some of the burden of replacing school provided meals once summer begins.
Hope Mobile/School Pantry
The struggles of low-income families typically involve trade-offs on necessities. Far too often they are forced to make sacrifices on food, cutting back on the amount purchased or settling for low quality, less-nutritious items. We help families make ends meet through our partnerships with pantries, where they can obtain nutrient-dense food from a trusted community source. Because not every family lives close to one of our partner agencies or to a full-service grocery store, we launched our Hope Mobile, an 18-wheel tractor trailer that functions as a mobile food pantry. Each month, it transports thousands of pounds of shelf-stable foods, fresh produce, meat and dairy products to needy families, in designated locations known as "food deserts" throughout our service area.
And through our School Pantry program, FBSJ works with school administrators and parent-teacher organizations to identify and directly assist families who can benefit most from deliveries of healthy, supplemental groceries.
Health and Wellness
The FBSJ Health and Wellness (H&W) department is FBSJ’s educational complement to our core feeding program. Through a combination of classroom instruction and cooking demonstration, H&W shares the value of nutrition awareness and empowers participants across our communities to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
Cooking Matters® programs offered in partnership with Share Our Strength, consist of classes with content tailored for children, teens, and families. In partnership with Oldways, H&W offers an adult curriculum that embraces healthy, cultural eating traditions with courses such as A Taste of African Heritage and A Taste of Latin American Heritage. These hands-on lessons transfer skills that enable those with limited means to become smarter
shoppers and to make nutritious meals from basic foods.
Where we work
Awards
Four Star Rating 2022
Charity Navigator
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of meals served or provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Summer Meals
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Meals provided to children facing hunger during the summer months when school is not in session.
Total number of classes offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Health and Wellness
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Nutrition education sessions: Interactive classroom instructions and hands-on cooking demonstrations that promote healthy eating.
Number of participants attending course/session/workshop
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Health and Wellness
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Children, adults and seniors who participated in FBSJ's various health and wellness courses.
Number of meals delivered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Families
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of meals distributed through FBSJ's Feed More and direct service programs to communities across a four-county service area.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
FBSJ’s vision starts with a clear identity of who we are as an organization, who we want to be and the aspirations we have for South Jersey. At the heart of our institution is the belief that no person – young or old – should go hungry due to a lack of the financial resources required to purchase sufficient, healthy food. Essential to powering our lives, nourishing food should never feel like a choice, and for the reported 136,750 South Jersey residents struggling with food insecurity, it is. Therefore, the primary aim of FBSJ is to reroute the trajectory of these citizens’ lives by creating a food-secure community in which residents thrive and live a life of dignity, purpose and vitality.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Beyond addressing the direct implications of food insecurity through hunger-relief programs, FBSJ’s short- and long-term plan creates a roadmap for evolving with the needs of the community and economic landscape. FBSJ will strive to maintain the perfect balance between serving with compassion and streamlining its operation to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
As FBSJ settles into a new decade, capitalizing on its distinct competitive advantages will position the organization for continued success. Investing in its workforce, the dedicated and highly-skilled staff who execute the mission; investing in technology that promotes transparency and efficiency; investing in infrastructure aimed at fostering a donor-centered institution, are all operational facets that lay the foundation for a sustainable South Jersey.
Armed with a clear vision of deepening, strengthening and expanding our role as South Jersey’s leading hunger-relief organization, the staff, board, partner-agencies and key stakeholders embarked on a Real Time strategic planning process that will guide and shape the future of FBSJ based on the four outlined pillars.
1. Further deepen our engagement with stakeholders, donors and community partners
2. Optimize and modernize our current resources
3. Build capacity to close the Hunger Gap
4. Proactively seek opportunities and identify future challenges
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Central to the Food Bank of South Jersey’s vision and new strategic plan, is eliminating the barriers that hinder access to nourishing food and building greater capacity to close the hunger gap. This plan builds upon the organization’s long-standing 35-year history of being a
steady, reliable resource for residents facing instability. An efficient, nimble and resourceful infrastructure will strengthen FBSJ’s proficiency in distributing food to individuals, seniors, children and families struggling with food insecurity through a myriad of systems that include
its network of over 200 partner-agencies and versatile direct service programs.
FOOD
Distributing food to people in need is the entry point of fulfilling our mission. FBSJ is the largest source of government and non-government food assistance that supports the unique geographic landscape – urban, suburban and rural – of South Jersey. In order to support our vision of people living healthy thriving lives, FBSJ seeks to continue playing a key role in improving equitable access to nutritious food for all communities in South Jersey.
NUTRITION
Eat Well. Move Well. Feel Well. The second part of our mission is the educational complement to our core feeding program. The vision for Health and Wellness is to increase consumption of healthy foods by educating families and individuals on how to select and prepare affordable nutritious foods for family meals and snacks. Through a combination of interactive classroom instruction and hands-on
cooking demonstration, FBSJ’s Health and Wellness department shares the value of nutrition awareness and empowers participants across our communities to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
SUSTAINABILITY
Leveraging our competitive advantages of credibility, visionary leadership and organizational flexibility, the third mandate paves the way for a food bank that’s equipped to innovate, tackle challenges and respond to future opportunities. We are sustainable by being fiscally responsible, innovative with our programming and by adopting technological advances that improve operational efficiencies. Included in FBSJ’s plan is creating solutions such as workforce training that will help break the cycle of poverty and food insecurity for residents.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As the region’s largest source of government and non-government food assistance supporting the unique geographic landscape – urban, suburban and rural – of South Jersey, FBSJ works collaboratively with a cross-section of partners including municipalities, educational institutions, community organizations and the over 200 local pantries that play a vital role in the execution of the mission to feed South Jersey.
Accomplishments thus far:
Converted over 50 pantries to the choice-model thereby promoting stronger nutrition acumen and healthier habits.
Developed and implemented food waste reduction principles into nutrition programming and healthy eating initiatives.
Increased the distribution of (healthier) Foods to Encourage (FTE) by eight percentage points.
Added pop-up distributions in all four counties in an effort to eliminate barriers to food access.
Refined the meal composition of the children's meals to include higher quality foods.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
2.81
Months of cash in 2021 info
4.3
Fringe rate in 2021 info
30%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Food Bank of South Jersey
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of Food Bank of South Jersey’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$276,209 | $721,835 | $1,193,218 | $6,404,183 | $3,709,235 |
| As % of expenses | -1.4% | 4.1% | 5.1% | 18.3% | 11.4% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$552,096 | $463,615 | $930,391 | $6,096,645 | $3,306,592 |
| As % of expenses | -2.8% | 2.6% | 4.0% | 17.3% | 10.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $19,108,213 | $18,288,330 | $24,479,782 | $42,494,630 | $35,639,314 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 14.7% | -4.3% | 33.9% | 73.6% | -16.1% |
| Program services revenue | 3.8% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 3.7% | 2.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Government grants | 27.8% | 26.4% | 48.9% | 50.3% | 51.1% |
| All other grants and contributions | 67.7% | 68.5% | 45.7% | 45.8% | 46.8% |
| Other revenue | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $19,388,871 | $17,547,335 | $23,286,564 | $35,020,758 | $32,612,848 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 12.7% | -9.5% | 32.7% | 50.4% | -6.9% |
| Personnel | 15.0% | 16.2% | 12.9% | 11.1% | 14.2% |
| Professional fees | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Occupancy | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Interest | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| All other expenses | 83.2% | 82.0% | 85.8% | 87.9% | 82.4% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $19,664,758 | $17,805,555 | $23,549,391 | $35,328,296 | $33,015,491 |
| One month of savings | $1,615,739 | $1,462,278 | $1,940,547 | $2,918,397 | $2,717,737 |
| Debt principal payment | $81,062 | $73,198 | $90,339 | $93,652 | $101,872 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $710,505 | $878,794 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $21,361,559 | $19,341,031 | $25,580,277 | $39,050,850 | $36,713,894 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
| Months of cash and investments | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $1,538,544 | $1,650,255 | $1,026,634 | $9,059,648 | $11,717,348 |
| Investments | $13,005 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $553,665 | $455,593 | $1,348,531 | $1,362,138 | $591,900 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $6,519,953 | $6,541,794 | $6,780,978 | $7,489,302 | $8,344,766 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 35.1% | 37.7% | 40.3% | 40.5% | 40.9% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 48.3% | 44.9% | 39.4% | 30.1% | 22.5% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $3,854,065 | $4,317,680 | $5,248,071 | $11,344,716 | $14,651,308 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $155,840 | $175,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $155,840 | $175,000 | $85,000 | $1,154,689 | $471,920 |
| Total net assets | $4,009,905 | $4,492,680 | $5,333,071 | $12,499,405 | $15,123,228 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
President & CEO
Fred C. Wasiak
Fred C. Wasiak was named president and CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey (FBSJ) in 2018; he oversees all aspects of the organization, including financial sustainability, operational efficiency, community engagement, advocacy, staff enrichment and board development.
Established in 1985 with the mission to provide an immediate solution to the urgent problem of food insecurity, FBSJ continues the mandate to alleviate hunger by eliminating barriers to food access and offering relevant programming and resources that seek to improve the lives of impacted residents.
As an accomplished executive with over 35 years of management and leadership experience, Fred is steering FBSJ, the leading hunger-relief organization in the southern region of New Jersey, into a future that builds upon the organization’s core competencies while paving the way for innovation and sustainability.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Food Bank of South Jersey
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Food Bank of South Jersey
Board of directorsas of 07/21/2023
Board of directors data
Mr. Douglas Schaeffer
Woodforest National Bank
Term: 2022 - 2023
Suzanne Ghee
Altheia LeDuc
Pam Boyd
Megan Shea
Jeff Hayman
Frank Plum
Phil Bartholomew
Darlene Trappier
Michael Matheis
Neal Walters
Carol Strock
Georgia Dennis
Maria Siegel
Kim Andreola
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/01/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Contractors
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