FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2025
CONTACT: Karina Diaz, Hudson County Executive’s Office
PHONE: 201-795-6200
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Hudson County Executive Craig Guy and State Senator Raj Mukherji (32nd District) today announced a combined $2.8 million to address food security and affordable housing in Hoboken and surrounding areas. The grant funding includes $1.8 million from Hudson County to bring a client choice food pantry to Hoboken and $1 million in state appropriations secured by Sen. Mukherji for urgent repairs and capital needs that will allow 96 single low-income residents to remain housed at the Hoboken Community Center and help expand the reach of the Center’s food pantry to the Jersey City Heights neighborhood.
County Executive Guy and Senator Mukherji were joined by Hudson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Anthony Romano (District 5), Hoboken Community Center board member Toni Tomarazzo, Hoboken Councilmembers Emily Jabbour (Council-at-Large), Joe Quintero (Council-at-Large), Tiffanie Fisher (2nd Ward), Phil Cohen (5th Ward), other Hoboken Community Center board members and Center volunteers.
“My administration is focused on the rising cost of living, and this funding will help address affordability issues that many Hudson County residents face, specifically food insecurity. To do that, I worked to obtain a $1.8 million dollar county grant to bring a client choice food pantry to the Hoboken Community Center that will serve Hoboken and Hudson County residents in need,” said Hudson County Executive, Craig Guy. “As your County Executive, it is my priority to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep the Center’s kitchen stocked with food and make sure its clients have a warm, safe space to call home. I am grateful to Senator Mukherji’s dedicated efforts in securing an additional $1 million in state appropriations to help address the affordability crisis in Hoboken, provide much needed repairs to the Hoboken Community Center, and expand the food pantry to reach communities in the Jersey City Heights.”
“The story of the Hoboken Community Center and Food Pantry is a story of community, empathy and compassion. The funding I secured, along with the grant acquired by County Executive Guy, will enable 96 vulnerable citizens to stay housed, and allow expansion to provide of food and hygiene products, including diapers and other items not covered by SNAP, to new locations. I cannot overstate how thankful I am to the volunteers at the Community Center for doing God’s work,” said Senator Raj Mukherji.
“As elected officials, it is imperative that we not only ‘talk the talk’ but actually ‘walk the walk’ – which is exactly what County Executive Craig Guy and the Board of County Commissioners, along with Senator Raj Mukherji, have done. With the $2.8 million in funding, the Hoboken Community Center will help a larger number of Hoboken and Hudson County residents that are in need of housing and food security during a time when affordability is a huge problem for many individuals and families,” said Chairman of the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, Anthony Romano.
“Toni Tomarazzo, Hoboken Community Center board member stated that they are honored to work with Senator Mukherji, County Executive Craig Guy, Commissioner Anthony Romano and the elected representatives from the City of Hoboken who are making the commitments and providing the support needed to maintain and expand this vital food pantry and affordable housing program in Hoboken. The new pantry will be client choice and allow families to select the food best suited for their needs. This is a dignified means for providing help to our most vulnerable community members.”
The Hoboken Community Center is the oldest public service agency in Hoboken and has provided affordable housing for over 100 years to low-income single men. In 2019, in the wake of the COVID crisis, the Hoboken Community Center opened a food pantry to serve the residents living in the affordable housing residences.
To meet the needs of Hoboken residents during the global pandemic, the Hoboken Community Center started a food pantry that delivered bags of groceries each week to 400 households. The demand for groceries grew substantially over the next year and today the Hoboken Community Center serves over 4,300 households in Hoboken and surrounding North Hudson communities.
Specifically, Hudson County awarded the Hoboken Community Center with a $1.8 million grant to bring a 5,000 square foot client choice pantry to Hoboken to service Hudson County communities and provide groceries, meats and other proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, personal care items and pet supplies.
Sen. Mukherji secured $1 million in state appropriations to provide urgent repairs and capital needs to the Hoboken Community Center’s low-income housing units. These funds will also expand the Hoboken Community Center’s food pantry to reach communities in the Jersey City Heights.
For photos of the press conference, click here.
Watch a video of the press conference at HudCoTV on YouTube.