Stop & Shop Donates $10,000 to Help Englewood School Food Pantry

Stop & Shop has donated $10,000 in gift cards to help the Englewood on the Palisades Charter School in-school food pantry, located at 65 W Demarest Ave. The pantry, which meets the need of more than 300 students, is run by the Englewood on the Palisades Charter School Community Outreach Coordinators Ms. Hassanah and Mrs. Oliveira.

Englewood on the Palisades Charter School is a Title 1 school, which means it has a high percentage of children from low-income households. The students who attend Englewood on the Palisades Charter School are between the ages of 5-14 and 53% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches. Through this food pantry, the school will be able to meet the needs of their 310 students.

“We are proud to highlight the ongoing success of our school food pantry program, a crucial initiative aimed at supporting families facing food insecurity,” said Dana Clark, Principal of Englewood on the Palisades Charter School. “The school food pantry has been a lifeline for many of our families. Not only does it provide essential resources to those in need, but it also teaches our students the value of service and compassion. We are incredibly grateful to Stop & Shop for their generous support in making this program possible.”

Beneficiaries of the food pantry can pick up groceries daily. The pantry provides perishable items, such as eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables and meat, including breakfast sausages, breaded chicken patties, and kielbasa. They also provide non-perishable food such as pasta, beans, rice, and canned goods, as well as other healthy snacks for the students.

The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was launched to help limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. Stop & Shop works directly with schools from Pre-K through college to support their school food pantry or help them establish a new one by providing gift card donations to assist in stocking their shelves.

“According to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, over 260,000 kids are considered food insecure in the state of New Jersey,” said Daniel Wolk, External Communications Manager of Stop & Shop. “Stop & Shop launched our School Food Pantry Program to help combat food insecurity among students of all ages and we are honored to support the Englewood on the Palisades Charter School in-school food pantry, so their students have access to nutritious food to help them succeed inside and outside the classroom.”

Stop & Shop currently supports over 250 School Food Pantries across its five-state footprint, serving over 40,000 students and families monthly. Stop & Shop supports 15 school food pantries in New Jersey, with the goal to open several more in 2025. For more information about Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry program, visit https://stopandshop.com/pages/school-food-pantry-program.