By Joshua Burd
NAIOP New Jersey has launched a campaign to raise more than $300,000 and provide 1 million meals for hungry residents and families in the Garden State.
The commercial real estate organization announced recently that it had kicked off the campaign, known as 1 Million Meals for NJ, as a way to mark its 10th year of supporting the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. The association has donated the first $10,000 toward the campaign goal and is encouraging matches from its member companies.
“Close to one million of our neighbors suffer from hunger, and over 70 percent of food insecure New Jerseyans are forced to make the impossible choice between food, shelter and medicine,” said Robert Rudin, vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield, who announced the launch of the campaign during NAIOP’s recent President’s Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner. “Every $1 donated to CFBNJ equals three meals, and our goal is to raise $333,333 to provide 1 million meals for our hungry neighbors all across the Garden State.”
Through its annual Community Action Project, NAIOP New Jersey collects cash and food donations and volunteers stock shelves and repackage supplies for distribution at CFBNJ’s Hillside facility. The state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization partners with more than 1,000 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters across the state to ensure that nutritious food is available to families in need year-round.
Aside from continuing the association’s long-running efforts, NAIOP New Jersey CEO Michael McGuinness said the effort dovetails with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin’s anti-hunger legislative proposals introduced in early November.
“Research shows that hunger is an issue in nearly every community across our state, and our members live and work in these very same communities,” McGuinness said. “This campaign offers the opportunity for our colleagues in the real estate industry, as well as friends and family, to work together to support the FoodBank’s mission to end hunger through job training and food support.”
Donations can be made via a dedicated page on the CFBNJ website: http://support.cfbnj.org/naiop.
In addition, companies and individuals can host their own fundraising events or volunteer at the FoodBank or at one of the organization’s service sites. For more information or to make an offline donation, contact NAIOP New Jersey’s Barbara Morford at 732-729-9900 or visit www.naiopnj.org.
