How to Help, Donate Food

Food Donations

We welcome your in-kind donations of food items. This is the most direct way you can help your neighbors in northern New Jersey. Annually, CFA collects and distributes more than $5,000,000 worth of food. Food donations come from all sectors of the community, including: individuals, religious organizations, schools, scouts, civic associations, corporations and local businesses and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

Donation Guidelines

To maximize the impact of your food donations, please follow these guidelines:

Preferred Foods

Canned, jarred and boxed non-perishable items are desirable due to their long shelf life, however, we do accept donations of fresh produce. High-protein items are preferred as they provide better nutritional value. Please make sure that cans are not rusted, creased or bloated as we may have to discard them for food safety reasons. We also cannot accept opened food items.

Supermarket Gift Cards

If you prefer you can donate Supermarket Gift Cards to us. These allow us to purchase essential or urgently needed food items. Please give gifts cards directly to a CFA employee.

Delivering Donations to Us

For local supporters, if your food donation exceeds what can fit in your car, please schedule a pick-up with Irwin Vogelman: ivogelman@cfanj.org | 201.321.3142. Residential pick-ups from private homes or apartments are not available.

To drop off the items you’ve collected please visit a CFA location near you during their hours of operation. Click here for site locations.

Acknowledgement

When dropping off your donation, please be sure to sign our “book of food donations” so that we can acknowledge your generosity.

Host a Food Drive

At your Workplace, School or Place of Worship

Write to the head of your organization, school, or business for approval to host a food drive.
Advertise your event with posters, press releases, and social media outlets. It is best to include a list of our most needed items.
Designate places where food will be collected. Provide large boxes, clearly marked “CFA Food Drive”. Store what is collected in a clean, dry location.
Find your closest CFA location and drop off the collected food during our regular working hours.
If you can, assist us further by volunteering to sort and package the food for final distribution to needy families!