Toni’s Kitchen Receives Grant for New Van from KearnyBank Foundation

Toni's Kitchen, a food ministry of St. Luke's Church, recently celebrated a grant awarded by the KearnyBank Foundation for a new van. This gift will enhance the organization's ability to distribute healthy food throughout the community, ensuring reliable access for children, families, and seniors.

Toni's Kitchen's vans play a vital role in transporting groceries to seniors and individuals with disabilities or other barriers to food access, collecting surplus food from over twenty local businesses, and setting up Neighborhood Mobile Markets that allow families to choose fresh produce and pantry staples in a farmers-market-style setting close to home. With the growing demand for food assistance–marked by a 14% increase in recent months of neighbors seeking support alongside a 20% drop in government-funded food donations–this grant arrives at a crucial time.

"This generous grant couldn't have come at a better moment," said Anne Mernin, Executive Director of Toni's Kitchen. "We're seeing more of our neighbors struggling to put food on the table, and our existing vehicles have been stretched to the limit. This new van will be a game-changer, allowing us to transport more food across our service areas and reach even more neighbors efficiently."

The KearnyBank Foundation is a philanthropic leader dedicated to improving communities through strategic investments in education, housing, community enrichment, and quality of life. Their support of impactful organizations like Toni's Kitchen reflects a strong commitment to bolstering the good health and strength of our neighbors.

"At KearnyBank Foundation, we are committed to improving lives throughout the areas we serve," said Taryn Rockwell, the Foundation's Executive Director. "Ensuring that our community is well-fed is a simple and extremely impactful way to help, and we are excited to see how this van will expand the vital work of Toni's Kitchen, enabling them to build local food security for so many."

Founded in 1982 by parishioners at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Toni's Kitchen began as a small soup kitchen serving 7,000 meals annually. Today, Toni's Kitchen operates a robust network of food support services–ranging from mobile markets and home grocery deliveries to hot meals served from a food truck–ensuring reliable access to healthy food for children, families, and seniors across Montclair, Bloomfield, and West Orange. In 2024 alone, the organization provided over 2 million meals. Toni's Kitchen also collaborates with a broad network of community partners–schools, senior centers, libraries, health providers, and more–to ensure healthy food is available wherever people gather.