LocalShare Fights Food Insecurity in Phillipsburg with Free Farm Fresh Produce

PHILLIPSBURG, NJ - The non-profit organization LocalShare provides free farm fresh produce to pantries, soup kitchens, and senior centers in Warren County.

In 2012, the idea of a “pay what you can” dinner was held, utilizing a surplus of produce from local farms in order to feed people.

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“We held three of those dinners, but knew there was still so much more food [which] needed to be harvested,” explained Christine Parauda, MSW, Food Access Director of Foodshed Alliance.

“This led to volunteers collecting the food from farms and delivering it to food pantries.”

LocalShare’s biggest focus was and is still in Phillipsburg, recognizing the town’s poverty level and the fact that another current grocery store, is now anticipated to close by November 2024. The lack of grocery options in Phillipsburg is commonly referred to as a “food desert.” (Click here to learn more about Assemblyman Craig Coughlin’s recent visit to Phillipsburg and the measures being put in place to tackle the serious issue of food insecurity in Warren County).

“It is the poorest community in Warren County,” shared Parauda. “We knew it had the highest number of students on free and reduced lunch in the county. We wanted to make an impact.”

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Three times a year, LocalShare hosts three pop-up markets a year around Warren County. The markets are for those who have trouble getting to a food pantry. Parauda shared, “The markets are wonderful because this way we can go straight to the community without having to ask for information as to why they are in need.”

One of the major components to this program is providing resources to the participant in need. For example, St. Luke’s residents come and talk to people about their diet and nutrition.

“For more than 150 years, St. Luke’s has been dedicated to providing high-quality health care services to our patients while also focusing on improving the health and wellbeing of all the citizens of our region. Through our St. Luke's Community Health Department, we support and implement meaningful community initiatives to measurably improve connection to care and resources, including food access,” shared St Luke’s Warren Campus President, Trevor Micklos.  “At St Luke’s Warren Campus, we work with priority partners to build capacity to better serve our community through advocacy, access, and navigation of resources. As such, we are proud to continue our partnership with the Foodshed Alliance LocalShare program for another season of providing access to free locally grown fruits and vegetables in our community.”

Other resources include SNAP education from SNAP navigators who can help individuals apply. Additionally, Norwescap provides information about cancer screenings. LocalShare also features tasting samples of the produce available that week and recipes available in English and Spanish to better utilize their items.

“Our farm partners are tremendous, generous, and care about their communities,” said Parauda. “They care that there is a surplus of food they don’t want to go to waste.”

LocalShare is a program of the Foodshed Alliance with a mission to strengthen sustainable farming, increase access to local healthy food, and protect the environment for all members of our communities. Click here to learn more about food insecurity in New Jersey and how it impacts Warren County.

The Foodshed Alliance is a grassroots, non-profit devoted to promoting sustainable farming and locally grown, fresh, healthy food in northern New Jersey. We believe that the future of our health, our land, and our communities depends, to great extent, on the existence of local farms–that farmers are the keystone to our connection with our food, the land and our sense of place. It is this conviction that drives us to work, with farmers, consumers, and agricultural professionals to foster a self-sustaining “foodshed” that supports farmers, nourishes people, respects the land, and strengthens our communities.

Upcoming Markets in Phillipsburg:

Saint Phillip and Saint James Church , 4:00-6:00 pm, 430 S. Main St.

8/14, 9/11, 10/09, 11/13, 12/11

St. Luke’s Hillcrest Plaza , 1:00-3:00 pm, 755 Memorial Pkwy

8/29, 9/26, 10/31, 11/25

Heckman House, 2:00-3:30 pm, 525 Fisher Avenue

8/19, 9/6, 10/22

Upcoming Markets in Warren County:

The Outreach Connection , 5:00-6:00 pm, 432 Route 31, Washington, NJ 07882

7/30, 8/27, 9/24, 10/29

The Lord’s Pantry , 5:30-7:00 pm, 213 Main St, Hackettstown, NJ 07840

8/1, 9/5, 10/3, 11/7

A list of local food pantries will be available on TAPinto Phillipsburg along with resources for the community that are free beginning August 15, 2024. This directory is part of providing free information in a centralized location for people looking for assistance.

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