Toni’s Kitchen Participates in Third Annual “Feeding New Jersey” Conference

Toni's Kitchen participated in the third annual Feeding New Jersey conference which was held on June 17 at Rutgers University. The conference featured approximately 300 professionals representing 100+ organizations from across the state who came together for a day of learning, networking and collaboration on current issues impacting food security.

In addition to all of the work that Toni's Kitchen does to provide healthy food to those in need in our community at St. Luke's Church (through meals in the dining room, Choice Pantry) and in the communities we serve (through Neighborhood Mobile Markets, community partner programs, home delivery, Toni's Grill), we also provide access to a broad range of services that many of our guests need.

Nancy Xenakis, who manages the Choice Pantry community-based partnerships at Toni's Kitchen, spoke at the conference about Toni's efforts in this area. She provided an overview of Choice Pantry's evolution from when it first began as a structured program almost three years ago to its present state with a focus on its growth to its current 21 onsite partnerships. These parternerships with community-based organizations provide services from health care to financial empowerment to personal development to community engagement and occur during Choice Pantry service so guests can learn more about them when they pick up their groceries.

Nancy shared with conference participants how these wraparound services were developed including successes and lessons learned. She also shared Toni's Kitchen's short-term future vision to build on the current offerings.

Nancy stated, "Throughout the conference, the energy was palpable as participants engaged in meaningful discussions and formed valuable connections. I felt honored to share our experiences with colleagues in the food space and hopefully help them start or expand their wraparound services to better serve their clients."

As we see the increase in families with children and seniors needing food support this year, Toni's Kitchen continues to work to address these challenges throughout the communities we serve.