<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2XoFWb_0wD2hvvD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2XoFWb_0wD2hvvD00" width="980" height="655" ><figcaption>Eddie Davis</figcaption></figure><p>Kathleen DiChiara, the founder of the <a href="https://cfbnj.org/about-us/">Community FoodBank of New Jersey</a> died on Friday, Oct. 11.</p><h2>DiChiara First Gave Out Food from Her Station Wagon</h2><p>DiChiara's lifetime of service began in the early 1970s when she organized the Loaves and Fishes food collection at her church in Summit, NJ.</p><p>In 1975, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey was born when she started giving out food from the back of her station wagon in downtown Newark.</p><p>Under her leadership as Executive Director, her goal was that everyone in New Jersey - at all times - had enough to eat.</p><p>Kathleen DiChiara saw the CFBNJ become the state’s largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization, providing enough food for more than 90 million meals annually.</p><h2>Kathleen DiChiara Expanded the Community FoodBank to South Jersey</h2><p>In 1987, The FoodBank took over the Salvation Army program serving Atlantic County and expanded its hunger relief efforts to South Jersey with a new Southern Branch in Landisville, which would later relocate to Egg Harbor Township.</p><p>By the time she retired in 2015, the organization had more than 200 employees and thousands of volunteers, working out of the 285,000-square-foot CFBNJ headquarters in Hillside and the southern branch in EHT.</p><p>Beyond the statistics, her compassion and dedication to helping those in need are what attracted the attention of many.</p><h2>DiChiara Was Recognized By Three Presidents &amp; the Pope</h2><p>DiChiara was recognized by three U.S. presidents, three New Jersey Governors, and Pope John Paul II. She was also a 2013 inductee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and received eight honorary doctorates from colleges and universities in New York and New Jersey.</p><p>“Kathleen DiChiara was a remarkable person and an inspiration to so many people,” said Joe Dempsey, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Board Chair.</p><blockquote><p>“If you ever wonder what one person can do to have a positive impact on the lives of others, there is no greater example than Kathleen. We will miss her dearly.”</p></blockquote><p>A funeral for Kathleen will be held on October 26 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Teresa of Avila in Summit. Her family has asked that, instead of flowers, <a href="https://cfbnj.org/donate-now/">donations</a> <a href="https://cfbnj.org/donate-now/">be made to CFBNJ</a><b>.</b></p><h2>A Tour of 12 Great BYOB Restaurants in Atlantic County</h2><h2>Screenshot Photos From Atlantic City in 1919, Colorized </h2></div></body>

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Founder of Community Foodbank of New Jersey Passes Away

Kathleen DiChiara, the founder of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey died on Friday, Oct. 11. DiChiara First Gave Out Food from Her Station Wagon. DiChiara's lifetime of service began in the early 1970s when she organized the Loaves and Fishes food collection at her church in Summit, NJ. In...