Bergen nonprofit offers free prepackaged meals to those in need

DUMONT - Beginning on Tuesday, March 16, local nonprofit The Food Brigade Inc. will distribute free dinner meals weekly to Bergen County residents in need.

The meals are being prepared by a number of local restaurants which have teamed up with The Food Brigade for this hunger-relief initiative.

"It's a win-win situation," said Karen DeMarco, President and Co-Founder of The Food Brigade. "Local restaurants that have been struggling due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 shutdown will be able to get an influx of cash, to help keep their businesses afloat. And families and individuals who have been dealing with food insecurity will be able to receive delicious restaurant-prepared meals for free."

DeMarco thanked Red, White and Pasta of Englewood, My Recipe Italian Restaurant in Bergenfield, Lola's Latin Cuisine in Bergenfield, and Cassie's Restaurant in Englewood for their participation and support.

"We reached out to a number of local restaurants in our immediate vicinity, and these four were the ones that stepped up on short notice to partner with us and help our neighbors in need," she said.

The meal distributions will be done by way of a drive-through operation at Calvary Church in Dumont, which is the headquarters of The Food Brigade and its food pantry. DeMarco anticipates that her group will distribute a minimum of 3,200 meals over a four-week period, and possibly more beyond that.

"We recently reached a milestone, having distributed more than a million pounds of food over a five-month period," DeMarco said. "But the need continues to increase, so we are excited to be able to offer this new program to our clients."

DeMarco stated that, to better serve their clients, The Food Brigade had also recently become a Partner Agency of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the largest food distribution operation in the state.

"We have a number of upcoming programs and projects planned to expand the scope of our service to the community," she added. "Our volunteers have been working very hard throughout the winter to distribute and deliver food to those in need, and we'll continue to increase our efforts throughout 2021."

Anyone wishing to request meals must complete a preregistration form at https://meals.foodbrigade.org. Due to the limited number of available meals, meals will not be able to be distributed to anyone who has not preregistered using the form. Recipients must request meals separately from each scheduled distribution.

The Food Brigade Inc. is a New Jersey nonprofit corporation and registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity. Based in Dumont, The Food Brigade is a Partner Agency of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. You can learn more about The Food Brigade at https://foodbrigade.org.

Cassie's Restaurant is located at 18 S. Dean Street in Englewood, NJ. Visit Cassie's online at https://cassiespizzeria.com.

Lula's Latin Cuisine is located at 86 S. Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, NJ. Visit Lula's online at https://www.facebook.com/Lulas_latin_cuisine-112561343802091.

My Recipe Italian Restaurant is located at 127 S. Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, NJ. Visit My Recipe online at https://www.myrecipeitalianrestaurant.com.

Red, White and Pasta Restaurant is located at 21 E. Palisade Avenue in Englewood, NJ. Visit Red, White and Pasta online at https://www.facebook.com/redwhiteandpasta.