1. Val’s Column
Courage Under Fire
My parents died when
I was very young
and I was blessed to
have grandparents
who loved me and
my four siblings,
aged 4-11, enough to take us in. My
grandmother at the time was in her
60’s and 6 months before my mother
died (her daughter), her mother
died and then 7 months after we
moved in her husband passed away.
So, in a period of 19 months, my
grandmother lost three significant
people. I believe that a multiple
tragedy like that would send many of
us in a downward spiral of depression
but not my“Lottie Mama”. “I don’t
have time to be depressed, I have
five little grandchildren here that
need me” she would say to people
when they would call crying and with
words of sympathy. She would tell
them as long as we have a roof over
our heads, clothes on our backs, food
in the house and our God, life would
be alright for us. It was just that basic
for her – food, clothing and shelter.
Anything more than that she said
was surplus from God. I grew up with
that value and to this day, I remain
most thankful for those basic things.
But in our part of South Jersey, so
many children and seniors can’t say
that every day as many of them are
not sure from where their next meal
will come. I don’t think they want a
lot - just enough as my grandmother
says,“ for life to be alright”.
Healthy Living.
It’s a nice thought, but is it realistic in
an age of growing sedentary habits
and fast food?
Yes, said The Food Bank of South
Jersey – and used the Healthy Living
Initiative (HLI) to prove its point.
Beginning with cooking classes in
2010, the Healthy Living Initiative
has now reached over 6,000 adults,
children and seniors in South Jersey.
More importantly, HLI is raising
awareness about ways to prepare
affordable and healthy meals and
spotlighting the Food Bank of South
Jersey as a thought leader in the area
of health and nutrition.
These efforts made a difference. In
2013, the CDC (Center for Disease
Control) reported that 19 states
– New Jersey among them - have
shown a decrease in their numbers
of obese adults and children. Obesity
rates in New Jersey are down 1% -
“a significant reduction when you
consider our Healthy Living Initiative
is less than 3 years old,”explains
Val Traore, CEO of the Food Bank of
South Jersey.“Great progress,”says
Ashleigh May, who was the lead
author of the CDC study.
A publication of the Food Bank of South Jersey
Leading the way, 19 states – including
New Jersey – show Americans how to
gain health – and lose weight.
‘Budget wise and Body friendly’the Food Bank of South Jersey’s Healthy
Living Initiative shows smart habits are key to long term health.
(continued on page 5)

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The Food Bank of South Jersey’s
clients responded eagerly. Children
and teenagers began returning to
their homes asking for vegetables. Or
pointing out low calorie ways to cook
their favorite foods. Parents, surprised
by this interest on the part of their
children, reported their own cooking
habits were changing.“I realized that
I didn’t have to cook chicken nuggets
all the time just to satisfy the kids,”
one mother said.“Now it was the
kids telling me to cook vegetables, to
drink more water, to get more carrots
in the house. It was an eye opener, I
can tell you.”
But while teaching adults, teens and
children with hands on, interactive
cooking classes, the Healthy Living
Initiative wanted more than just
anecdotal praise from parents. To
do this they called on the Senator
Walter Rand Institute for Public
Affairs at Rutgers-Camden, asking
the research center to study the
sustainability of the Food Bank’s HLI
program. Over a three month period,
16 focus groups were evaluated on
their understanding of nutrition
concepts, the basic of healthy
cooking and healthy shopping.
“Stunning,”says Traore of the results.
Each group showed significant
improvement in their grasp of
nutrition, diet and health.
The challenge now?“Money,”Traore
says simply.“The waiting list is long
and the funding is short. This year
alone we already have 925 people
who have signed up for our program.
They are looking for the knowledge
to get themselves, their families
and their children back on track –
with all the wonderful things that
can happen when good nutrition
is a given. We will overcome every
obstacle and look under every
stone, but we will get that money
somehow.”
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Need a gift idea
for the holidays?
Thanksgiving is just around the
corner, but our goal is to make
sure families in South Jersey have
access to healthy food and nutrition
education all year round. If you’re
looking for a unique way to celebrate
a special occasion, we have the
perfect solution – a tribute gift! A
great idea for:
• Birthdays
• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Graduations
• Mother’s Day/Father’s Day
• Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
• Holidays…and more!
For as little as $10, you can make
a gift in honor or in memory of
someone special and support
our mission. Visit us at www.
foodbanksj.org/donate and select
the“Tribute”option. The gift recipient
will receive a customized FBSJ
certificate and newsletter (…we will
not mention the gift amount or send
unsolicited mail).
We Did It!
New Jersey – show Americans how to gain
health – and lose weight. (continued from cover)
Teens
Ashley Reyes is like every other
teenager, but with one difference – if
you put snack foods in front of her,
she’s more likely to tell you about their
nutritional deficiencies than eat them.
Ashley is one of the Food Bank of
South Jersey’s“peer educators.”
Having taken an environmental
course at her high school, she
promptly“fell in love with gardening
and it floored me how much a person
could grow in their own back yard.”
Her new interest grew to encompass
nutrition and then,“a whole new
world opened”she recalls. “One
of the first things we made in our
cooking class was vegetable lasagna.
I never knew there was such a thing!
Whoever heard of putting squash in
lasagna? But it was fantastic!”
Excited by her own growing interest
in what a difference good nutrition
could make in body weight, energy,
concentration at school and so much
more, Ashley brought the lessons
home to her family…and then to her
friends at school. Attending weekly
HLI classes as part of the Food Bank
of South Jersey’s partnership with
Urban Promise, Ashley spends at least
2 hours or more a week helping to
teach Cooking Matters classes, often
bringing along friends so they can
learn as well.“With good nutrition
we can help prevent so many things,
like obesity and diabetes.”she says,“I
always tell my friends that you have
to eat clean to look clean.” Now a
junior in high school, Ashley believes
that promoting good nutrition will
always be a big part of her life.“I may
not end up doing something with
it professionally, but I’m going to
keep on volunteering and teaching
and preaching. I know I can make a
difference.”
Wonder Chefs
What happens when you take the
average 5 year old and hand them a
stalk of celery?
For kindergarteners all over the area,
the result is a“celery boat”– a stalk of
celery filled with cheese and raisins,
eagerly gobbled up by the children.
Just ask Angel, of Abbott grade
school in Camden.
Angel isn’t a foodie, she’s a Wonder
Chef. A graduate of the Food Bank’s
Wonder Chefs program celery boats
are just one of her new favorite
things. “If we reach children at a
young enough age where
they are still impressionable
and beginning to learn about
their likes and dislikes, we can
help direct them toward long
term healthy habits,”explains
Chef Raquel Moreno, senior
manager of the Food Bank’s
Healthy Living Initiative.
Moreno hopes to establish
the classes in an additional 4
schools next year.
Scan QR code or visit
foodbanksj.org/donate
Donate to help educate 3,500 people
in South Jersey in the next three years.
Do it for South Jersey!
To read the full report from the
Senator Walter Rand Institute, go to
www.foodbanksj.org/walterrand.
“Today Wonder Chefs, tomorrow
the world,”jokes Food Bank CEO
Val Traore.“When we see 5 year olds
asking for vegetables, we know we’re
doing something right.”
Seniors
“Getting older ain’t for sissies,”the
actress Bette Davis once said.
She’s right. Everyone ages and
everyone slows down. But aging
doesn’t have to mean disease and
pain. Many seniors can control their
ailments and stay active and healthy
well into their golden years.
The Camden Coalition for
Healthcare Providers (CCHP)
partnered with the Food Bank of
South Jersey to introduce groups of
senior citizens with diabetes to foods
– and ways to cook them - that could
make a difference.
“In the past, these seniors just heard
about foods that were good for them.
In our new kitchen, they had a hands-
on experience in seeing, chopping
and cooking these foods. It was their
first chance to put into action the
lessons they had learned. The results
were amazing.” Chef Moreno and
her class prepared soup with three
kinds of beans and fresh vegetables;
a sweet potato salad with roasted
red pepper; and experimented with
herbs and seasonings that put flavor
back into food without the salt and
sugar.“They were so enthusiastic
and so open to learning, that they
immediately wanted to sign up for
another class.”said Moreno. She
pauses as she prepares her menu for
the next class.“Long life is a good
thing,”she explains“as long as you
have the health to go with it.”
100%of HLI participants
would recommend
this class to others
For additional information about
tribute or membership gifts, please
contact our Donor Concierge Service
at (856) 662-4884 ext. 138.
Pictured below are participants from our Living Well with Diabetes class, putting the
final touches on their lunch of Sautéed Salmon, Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, and
Mixed Beans and Greens Soup.
Pictured here are participants from
our Healthy Living class at Urban
Promise, including Ashley Reyes,
second from left.
Look who’s Loving Healthy Living!
The Food Bank of South Jersey showcases the results of our Healthy Living
Initiative, proving that good eating habits can be taught at any age.

3. A former teacher finds many ways to help
nourish school age children
Some Food Bank of South Jersey friends make contributions to us in so
many ways – and some steadily for months and years – that the Food Bank
of South Jersey had to create a special club to honor them! The Food Finder
Club recognizes those people who have made a contribution to FBSJ for at
least three consecutive years.
Which brings us to Joan Wechter.
A former Gloucester County teacher, Joan watched hungry children
struggle in the classroom, unable to concentrate on their lessons. “The
concept of being able to assure a child’s next meal is such a basic one,” she
says.“It affects their performance in school and can impact their health
and so many other aspects of their life.”
Not content with a monthly donation, Joan carved out time to volunteer,
using her talents and skills throughout FBSJ. Within just a few months, Joan
helped FBSJ re-organize its filing system for grants, assisted with Hunger
Study surveys, edited newsletter articles, and participated as an audience
member for a test run of our new cooking competition, FBSJ Hunger Games
(see foodbanksj.org/hungergames for more information). Her efforts and
energy are an example to the students she taught and to the FBSJ staff that
have come to rely on her formidable talents. Thank you, Joan!
If you would like to be featured in the next issue of the Donor Spotlight or would like to
learn more about volunteer opportunities at FBSJ, please contact our Donor Concierge
service at (856) 662-4884 ext. 138 or email us at: msantiago@foodbanksj.org.
Keep the
Dream Alive
For so many of your neighbors,
good health is just a dream.
Urban neighborhoods lack access to
healthy foods, emphasizing corner
stores brimming with snacks and
foods high in salt, sugar and fat.
Children fall asleep at school, lacking
the good start that protein and fruit
can give them. Senior citizens find
that diabetes and hypertension
can run amuck, destroying the
independence that their golden
years should bring.
So let’s end it right now.
The Food Bank of South Jersey
began the Healthy Living Initiative to
teach, educate and counsel those in
need about the impact of food and
diet on good health. Through our
classes and outreach we’ve brought
cooking classes at every level to
children, teens, families and senior
citizens throughout South Jersey.
To do this we used a secret weapon.
You.
You were there every step of the way.
Your help made the classes possible.
Keep the dream alive. Keep hope –
and health – growing in South Jersey
Donate. Give. Volunteer. Support.
Scan QR code or visit
foodbanksj.org/donate
Do it for South Jersey!
www.foodbanksj.org/donate
Venue: Food Bank of South Jersey
1501 John Tipton Boulevard
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
6 -11pm
Black Tie Optional
Join us for an unforgettable evening of chance,
music and food. All for an unforgettable cause!
For more information: visit foodbanksj.org/vivasj
Valet Parking
Open Bar
Array of restaurants
3

4. Our Mission
The Food Bank of South Jersey exists to
provide an immediate solution to the
urgent problem of hunger by providing
food to needy people, teaching them to
eat nutritiously, and helping them to find
sustainable ways to improve their lives.
Do it for South Jersey!
1501 John Tipton Boulevard
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
www.foodbanksj.org
(856) 662-4884
With reduced resources and cutbacks,
the Twilight Harvest program was in
jeopardy. “We knew we were going
to need help to continue it” explains
Falynn Milligan, Food Bank of South
Jersey Manager of Direct Services.
That’s where Cruz stepped in.
A senior citizen himself and once a
recipient of the bounty from Twilight
Harvest, Cruz knew how important
the deliveries were to senior citizens,
many of them living on a fixed income.
“It made a difference in my life,”says
Cruz.“I went from 10% to 100% with
the help I got from this program, so I
wanted to give back to others.”
Cruz immediately called the Food Bank
of South Jersey to volunteer his time.
The rest, says Milligan, is history.“He
lets the residents at Kennedy Towers
(a seniors only building) know
the distribution schedule, sets
up tables for us to use for food,
makes sure both grocery carts and
FBSJ canvas bags are available
for everyone and even hand
delivers groceries to those too ill
or disabled to come to the lobby
to get their food.”says Milligan.
“It means so much to us – and to
the Kennedy House residents – to
have one of their own step up to
the plate like this.”
Twilight Harvest is a unique
collaboration between FBSJ
staff and volunteers, senior centers,
community organizations, nutrition
education specialists and funding
from the business community and
government sector. The program is
designed to help low-income seniors
who often struggle to make ends
meet, torn between paying for food,
medication and housing. Seniors must
be 60 yrs or older and provide proof
of income and residency. Participants
receive a 10-day meal box intended to
supplement their monthly groceries.
Once a recipient, now a volunteer: Pedro Cruz, senior citizen, reaches
out to make sure Twilight Harvest distributions continue.
West Deptford teen takes love, lemons and a
little ingenuity to help others.
Dana Bell knew a thing or two about
hunger. Her grandparents, like so
many other senior citizens, lived on
a fixed income which often was not
enough to meet their needs. The
‘golden years’once thought to be a
time of rest and relaxation, were often
a struggle to make decisions between
paying for food or medicine, food or
electricity, food or rent. Like many
others, they sought the help of the
mobile food pantry in Lindenwold
which provided them with meats,
fresh fruits, vegetables and other
staples. It was a
lesson in need – and
in the generosity of
others meeting that
need – and it stuck
with the teen.
“I wanted to do
something to give
back,”she explains.“The Food Bank of
South Jersey helped my grandparents
and so many others. So I kept asking
myself, how can I raise money to help
them continue their work?”Dana’s
answer: a lemonade stand in her home
town. Her efforts paid off and the
stand yielded more than $100 which
she promptly donated to the Food
Bank of South Jersey.
Not surprisingly, the active teen is
thinking about her next fundraising
project.“The lemonade stand was my
first try at raising money,”she said.
“It won’t be my last.” Reflecting
on the generosity which helped
her much loved grandparents
survive, she adds,“If I can help the
Food Bank of South Jersey make
sure families have one less thing
to worry about, that makes it all
worthwhile.”
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