LocalShare NJ Rescues and Distributes Surplus Food from Farms

LocalShare NJ, a program of the Foodshed Alliance, has one main mission: rescue surplus food from farms and provide it to families in need. LocalShare works with more than 100 New Jersey-based programs to help curb food insecurity, and recently, thanks to a local community action board grant through Atlantic Health System, the organization received funding for a brand-new wrap for its van—a vehicle that coordinator Christina Parauda considers “critical” to LocalShare’s purpose.

“It is a wonderful thing because it’s not something we have the money to do,” Parauda says. “It’s a visual reminder of the kind of work that we do. We want people to ask, ‘What is that van? What are they doing?’

… It’s a rolling billboard.”

The van helps to distribute food to various pantries and programs around the state, which is how it lands in the hands of people who need it most.

• To volunteer, download the LocalShare NJ app or visit localsharenj.org.