[INSPRATIONAL MUSIC STING] - We're joined once again by our good friend Bernie Flynn, the CEO of Mercer, Mercer Street Friends, I'll get that out.

The graphic will come up.

Bernie, good to see you again.

- Good to see you Steve.

- Give us an update.

We're going into the spring 2025, lots of changes.

Biggest concern you have about federal funding to food related, food insecurity related issues, particularly the SNAP program.

What's your biggest concern?

- Well, the biggest concern is SNAP Steve.

I mean, we are the food bank for Mercer County, so we're a smaller food bank.

But when you consider that, that SNAP.

- SNAP stands for, Is it supplemental?

- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

It is formally food stamps.

- Got it.

- So, so SNAP is available to millions of people throughout the country.

850,000 or so benefit from SNAP here in New Jersey, and it's, it's an EBT card.

You get so much money for food a month.

So it actually, you know, spurs the economy because it's very efficient with regard to, you know, all SNAP money is expended within that monthly period.

But given the change of administration and the discussions that are going on down in Washington, DC SNAP is at the top of my list as an area for concern.

- How does it impact the people you serve every day?

- Well, here- - And in the, by the way, the geographic area, remind everyone, Bernie, the geographic area you serve.

- Yeah, well for us it's Mercer County, but we work with all the other Feeding America food banks in the state of New Jersey.

And frankly, across the country, we're part of that nationwide network.

But there are five of us here in Jersey.

And the stark numbers are that for all the good work that we do in the food banking world and the food pantry world, food agencies, churches, soup kitchens and such, for every, every 10 charitable meals, that network I just talked about supplies one for the nine meals that are covered by SNAP.

So it's a nine to one ratio.

So SNAP is the most important food security program in the country.

- You know, you have said, Bernie, let's stay on this.

Food as medicine.

What do you mean by that, what is meant by that?

- Well, health and nutrition need to be married to the work that we do.

So we need to, as, as a, as a collective group of food security organizations, we have to try and provide the most nutritious food possible.

And we all know we don't need a bunch of studies to tell us this.

We all know that fruits and vegetables are better for you than the junk food.

And we don't provide junk food to those that we serve.

But we are always trying to get more fresh produce, more eggs, more good protein out to those that we serve.

So food as medicine kind of encapsulates that effort.

- PS, Mercer Street Friends is also tied to the Community Food Bank in New Jersey, one of our long time partners dealing with greater public awareness and education around food insecurity.

Let, lemme try this.

Growing healthy, Growing Health Pantries, what is that program?

- Yeah, that's part of the good news, Steve.

And that is- - You mean there's some good news, Bernie?

- Yeah, there is some good news because of the efforts that are being undertaken by the food banks.

But the Growing Healthy Pantries initiative is a couple years in the making and really a lot of credit goes to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield because they see nutrition and health as a partner in the work of the food banks and other food agencies.

- Are they funding that initiative?

- So they are funding this initiative and we are benefiting from several other funders now, but it was the seed funding, from Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, that was the catalyst for this Growing Healthy Pantries initiative.

And it's about providing healthier choices to those that we serve, providing more than food Steve.

We need to provide other resources in addition to food when we have that opportunity for our community in need.

- Lemme, lemme press on this issue.

I appreciate you saying that about Horizon, a long time supporter of public broadcasting as well.

And, and, and again, I said this last time you were with us, that Bernie Flynn, when he was the CEO of New Jersey Manufacturers, he's been, he's moved on from that position about seven years ago.

You were just telling us.

Bernie was part of a group of corporate executives who led the effort to help support privately public broadcasting in the state.

Why am I bringing in that up now?

When you talk about this Growing Health Pantries program, the support from the corporate and foundation community, is the need for corporate private support more important than ever before in this food insecurity problem, Bernie, because of the uncertainty and concerns around public government funding.

- Yes.

Now all of our concerns, first of all, the corporate community, the private philanthropic community is critically important in this food security space, as you mentioned.

So, you know, that is tremendously appreciated.

And we're gonna need more, you know, as time goes on, because of what's happening down in Washington DC, food is a nonpartisan issue.

You know, Steve, I've always been an advocate for, you know, different public policy initiatives including, you know, public media.

But I have come to appreciate just how overarching a public policy issue food security is.

It should be, we're the richest country in the world and it should be a given that all of those citizens of the United States of America have enough nutritious food to lead their best lives.

And that is, that is what we are battling right now in Washington DC because there doesn't seem to be an awareness of the, the dramatic impact on, on food security that certain initiatives are, you know, really undermining.

And SNAP is one that is under fire right now, and we'll see, you know, what happens with SNAP.

But we cannot make up the difference if SNAP is cut significantly down in Washington DC.

- To Bernie's point, food insecurity, people not having enough healthy food for themselves, their families.

That's not political, that's not partisan.

And I'm not on my soapbox because that's just a fact.

Bernie Flynn, the CEO of Mercer Street Friends.

Thank you Bernie, we'll talk again soon, my friend.

- Thank you, Steve.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- [Narrator] State of Affairs with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

EJI, Excellence in Medicine Awards.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

NJM Insurance Group.

The New Jersey Education Association.

PSEG Foundation.

The Fidelco Group.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

And by NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

Promotional support provided by NJBIZ.

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