Garden State Times

The Board of Commissioners convened at the Rutgers–Camden Campus Center on Friday to discuss food insecurity with community leaders, local organizations, and advocates. The conference aimed to find effective solutions to address food insecurity in the county and the surrounding region.

“This is an issue that the Board of Commissioners is determined to beat because no one, in any community, should ever have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” said Commissioner Virginia Betteridge, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services. “Food insecurity can impact anyone at any time as millions of Americans are just a missed paycheck away from going hungry. By joining together and sharing ideas, we can make a difference and find real solutions to food insecurity here in Camden County and across the state.”

To assist in addressing food insecurity, last year saw the groundbreaking of the Camden County Center for Community Nutrition. This $5 million project aims to combat food insecurity through a meals-on-wheels program. The facility is expected to open before the new year.

The center was established to meet the increasing demand for home-delivered meals within the county. It spans 7,500 square feet and includes areas for meal assembly and distribution services for home delivery programs. Additionally, it houses staff areas along with frozen, refrigerated, and dry goods storage facilities.

The program currently serves over 2,000 clients across three nutrition sites located in Lawnside, Blackwood, and Pine Hill—all operating at full capacity.

“This facility will allow our meal services to run smoother and reach more residents, as we take on more and more clients by the year,” Betteridge stated.