while many of us over indulge this time
of year many more about a million more
in New Jersey go without about 13% of
our residents don't have access to
enough food and yet food waste is at an
all-time high in the state Michael Hill
reports on a package of bills moving
through Trenton aimed at ending food
insecurity for those still chasing the
dream Susan vegan and her three children
knew hunger after a divorce job losses
and downsizing I was able to find a
part-time job in a large organization
but was able to get assistance with
childcare because I was only working
twenty-five hours a week it wasn't
enough to pay my rent it wasn't enough
to put food on the table anti-hunger
advocates and the Assembly Speaker count
vegan among the garden state's growing
and grim statistics one out of eight
people in the state of New Jersey are
food insecure which means that they lack
an adequate consistent supply of food
and it's even worse for children
vegan came to trend to testify the
assembly Human Services Committee for a
series of bills to fight hunger among
them one would permit supermarkets and
grocery stores to sell alcoholic
beverages for off-premises consumption
to entice them to build in food deserts
another would give grants to battle food
insecurity on public college campuses
and another one urged large food
retailers to cut waste this is such a
step forward for the state of New Jersey
to really tackle this problem more
really literally head on Thursday
exactly was Thanksgiving but today is
the day that we're really thankful for
an emergency food network and everyone's
food banks across New Jersey hunger
exists from one end of this state to the
next there is not one County that is
exempt from the issue of hunger cumec in
downtown Paterson said the proof is in
the thousands of New Jerseyans who come
here every month from nine counties
including the busload of senior citizens
recently from Livingston effectively
ending hunger has nothing to do with
giving people food feeding people is
about giving people food but ending
hunger addressing hunger effectively is
about wrapping services around the
families that are coming to us for help
fourteen anti-hunger bills on the table
the Assembly Speaker says it's not about
the price tag it's about something else
many of the bills are coordination of
efforts because as I said there are
thousands and thousands of people who
for a very long time have toiled in the
vineyards and and stuck up for people
who are food insecure this this will
bring some organization to that Assembly
Speaker Craig Coughlin was the first to
testify for the bills in a roomful of
advocates urging lawmakers in this
high-income state to feed the least of
its citizens the committee released all
14 bills and coughlin said he
anticipates the full assembly approving
the bills in mid-december
in Trenton Michael Hill NJTV news
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