Learn About Hunger

In Morris County, NJ, one of the most affluent counties in the nation, there are many households struggling with food insecurity.

Making a Difference in the Community

For over 25 years, the Interfaith Food Pantry Network has improved the health and well-being of Morris County residents in need by providing access to food, education and other resources.

30,360

estimated number of food-insecure people in Morris County

72,264

bare-minimum income for a Morris County family of four to cover basic necessities

30 %

of Morris County households have income under the bare-minimum threshold

1.6 Million

pounds of food were distributed by IFP in 2019, feeding over 33,000 residents

Drew University Study
Measures Food Insecurity
Among Morris County Seniors

In partnership with the Interfaith Food Pantry Network (IFPN), the County of Morris, Division of Aging, Disabilities and Community Programming, a team of students from Drew University recently concluded a study on senior hunger and food insecurity in Morris County.*

Under the supervision of Professor Patrick McGuinn, Ph.D., students studying Social Policy and Inequality visited the County’s 14 Senior Nutrition Centers to survey 211 seniors in order to identify and analyze hunger and food insecurity.

16%of Seniors

had either run out of food or had been concerned about running out of food before receiving more money.

43%of Seniors

or more than 35,000 people, are living below the Elder Index.

22%skipped a meal

or ate less in order to save money.

The highest percentage of seniors in need:

Parsippany, Dover, Morristown, Montville, Florham Park, Morris Township, Madison, Mt. Olive, Randolph and Pequannock

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The students were surprised to discover how many seniors lacked access to a regular source of nutritious food and the varied reasons for their food insecurity. In addition to economic factors, many cited transportation issues, distance to grocers, and a lack of awareness about resources available to them such as SNAP or local food pantries. It was an eye opener to see the challenges many of our seniors face; even something as simple as the inability to carry their groceries can be a barrier to obtaining the food they need.

― Professor Patrick McGuinn, Ph.D.

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This information is invaluable to us as we strategically direct our efforts to reach those that are aging in place and lack access to the food resources they need. We have a number of Mobile programs designed to bring food and services to our seniors such as home delivery, our Senior Food Box program, and a supplementary program for Meals-on-Wheels recipients that we run in partnership with the County of Morris, Division of Aging. The information gleaned from these reports will help us dig deeper to evaluate the needs of each community and close the food security gaps where they exist.

― Professor Patrick McGuinn, Ph.D.

*The data collected by McGuinn’s class was supplemented with a demographic analysis of economic security among older adults by Drew’s Advanced Geographic Information Systems under Professor Lisa Jordan. The students created a spatial analysis to map areas of the county that had high rates of economic insecurity based on Census, ALICE1 and Elder Index2 data.

Every Person Counts
so Every Dollar Counts

With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, more and more families and at-risk seniors are sheltering in place and need our support. Your contribution can help fund some or all of our programs.

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