By Jillian Risberg 

When someone is food-insecure, having a resource like the Wayne Interfaith Network Food Pantry (WIN) to count on is everything.  

From the early days of the pandemic to now, the pantry has done all they could to not wane.    

“At one point we had to stop giving out food and getting all these monetary donations was great because we decided we had to mail ShopRite gift cards to our clients,” says WIN Pantry Director, Barbara Cohen. 

They had a dramatic jump in clients throughout the pandemic, from 125 in February 2020 to 165 currently.  

They continue to serve an increasing number of individuals and families. 

“We have without a doubt amazing community support,” Cohen says at the start of the pandemic — not everyone knew who they were.  “Mayor Vergano was fantastic — every time he did a COVID update he said, ‘don’t forget the food pantry and their needs.’  Then we started getting donations.”

Just because we can’t get together to hand people food doesn’t mean they’re not hungry anymore.  These are the same people who might have lost jobs.  

The Pantry was founded in 1984 as a result of the Passaic River flood devastation that year. It has been going strong ever since.

According to Cohen, they are based at the YMCA and because of their generosity (they give them a space) are not charged any rent or utilities. 

The Pantry is a certified 501(c)3 — one of the questions you can ask a charity is how much of their income goes to upkeep.  

“If you look at any of the big charities; if they give at least 50 percent of their income to their charity, they’re in relatively decent shape because that’s how expensive it is to maintain,” says the pantry director. 

“We have a phone bill to pay and it is our only expense — more than 98 percent of the money we collect goes back to the families.”

Every family gets three bags of groceries and a ShopRite gift card for the cashables (milk, cheese, meat) the pantry can’t provide. They don’t have space for refrigeration.

“If we were to give a family with children a dry box of macaroni and cheese (but) they don’t have milk and butter — they can’t make it,” Cohen says that’s not a good scenario. “The ShopRite card is like gold to our clients, and they get one per-month. We are not a full replacement pantry, (rather) a supplemental source.”

Many of the pantry clients are on food stamps. They’re just borderline people who fall short.  

“If we can make it a little easier for them, we do.  We don’t want to know what their finances are but we do want to know they are food-insecure,” she says the director of senior and social services (Rosemary Acampora) gets and vets clients for them to ensure they are Wayne residents. 

The pantry is an all-volunteer organization. Every Monday and Wednesday they pack for 20 to 22 families.  A little over 40 families a week pick up — the pantry’s whole client list covered in a period of a month.  

“These are the kindest, most wonderful volunteers I’ve ever met, generous — we speak at different organizations to encourage them to join in,” says Cohen. “If we are an organization they want to help support, myself or vice president Cathy Czar will gladly go and speak.”  

Because they get no federal, state or county support… a person on the borderline who makes $20 more a week, the pantry’s cutoff — it’s not enough to make a difference.

“We include them and are able to make those kind of independent decisions,” the pantry director says. 

The food pantry is stocked through generous donations of community and individual donations, various businesses and service organizations throughout Wayne and the local  area.

“Cub Scout Pack #104 (Packanack Lake) kids are amazing every year and tell their friends, relatives to fill up a bag for the pantry,” Cohen says they dropped off 380 bags. “Preakness Reformed Church dropped off 60 bags of groceries. The Elks are generous, the Rotary is generous, the churches, synagogues, scouts and school groups. George Washington Middle School ran a soup drive (during the Superbowl) and brought us nearly 400 cans of soup. That is how we keep our pantry filled.”

They also accept monetary donations (through the WIN website or postal mail) which the pantry uses to pay for the gift cards and items they don’t have (*often run out of coffee).  

Donor fatigue is always a concern.  

“Thanksgiving to Christmas is a wonderful time, our shelves are spilling over,” the library director says. “By end of January to the beginning of February our shelves empty out.”

The reason they encourage the food drive kids, people to save their drives for March because it’s when the pantry’s shelves get low. Cohen does her best to space out the food drives.  

And they all go to pick up a large donation from The Jewish Federation of North Jersey, 150/200 bags, she says sometimes it’s been that many. 

As a retiree (former nurse and high school guidance counselor), the pantry director looked for a worthwhile venture to fill her time. That’s when a chance workout at the Y turned into a conversation with the pantry, a few months later she became WIN president, and a year after that she took over as director.  

“I find it very fulfilling,” says Cohen. “I worked many years — my husband and I, to support our family and now I’m feeding my soul knowing I’m helping other people. The pantry is my ‘happy place.’”

Supportive of those already food-insecure, she says every time they turn around there’s someone else, especially in the current climate.

“If we were to stop the food-insecurity rate would certainly go up,” the pantry director says they’ve stabilized.

She says part of what makes Wayne great: people in the township willing to go that extra mile (30+ volunteers work at the pantry) to help those in need. 

Of the clients: she says every single one is appreciative and understanding. 

“The best thing is when you get a phone call saying, ‘thank you for everything you’ve done, I’m back at work now, my financial situation has changed, I’m in a better position — I don’t need you anymore,’” says Cohen.  

If you are in need of assistance, Call Rosemary Acampora at 973-694-1800 x 3281

or the WIN Pantry directly 973-595-1900.