SOMERVILLE, NJ, Nov. 25, 2024 – As part of RWJBarnabas Health’s Social Impact and Community Investment initiatives, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, has donated more than 4,100 surplus meals (5,100 pounds of food) from its cafeteria since February to support food insecure families in its community. The food is picked up from RWJUH Somerset twice a week by Share My Meals, a non-profit organization active across New Jersey, and distributed to Somerset County homeless shelters. Since the food was not sent to a landfill, the donations avoided 23,000 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions.
“Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset is committed to addressing food insecurity to promote the health of our community,” said Deirdre Blaus, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, RWJUH Somerset. “Working with Share My Meals has been such a wonderful collaboration. Our excess food is supporting families in need while also helping the environment.” One of the recipients of RWJUH Somerset’s meals is HOME of Somerset County in Somerville, which provides housing and support services for at-risk families, including emergency shelter, transitional housing and independent living support.
“Food security is a human right,” said Alyssa Martini, executive director of HOME of Somerset County. “It means so much to our clients who have struggled to afford food for their families and many times have to worry when and where they will get their next meal. We are extremely grateful to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset for their generous meal donations.” “Since the start of its Meal Recovery Program in October 2021, Share My Meals has recovered over 200,000 meals delivered to approximately 2,000 individuals weekly in New Jersey with the help of 150 active volunteers and 65 meal providers. Our partnership with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has enabled us to support many more families with nutritious meals in the Central New Jersey region,” said Hélène Lanctuit, CEO of Share My Meals. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with RWJBarnabas Health to reach more communities throughout New Jersey.”
The partnership between RWJBarnabas Health and Share My Meals was piloted at RWJUH Somerset in February of this year. In line with the health system’s mission to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey, the Share My Meals Program will be rolled out to all RWJBarnabas Health facilities in 2025. In addition to its meal donations through Share My Meals, RWJUH Somerset also supported food insecure families this Thanksgiving season by donating 482 chickens and turkeys to local food pantries and homeless shelters.
In addition, hospital employees donated grocery store gift cards for 97 families through an Adopt A Family Program coordinated with the Somerset County Social Services. For more information about RWJUH Somerset and its Social Impact and Community Investment initiatives, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset. For more information about Share My Meals, visit www.sharemymeals.org.
bout Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital SomersetLocated in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a nationally accredited, 339-bed regional hospital providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical, behavioral health and rehabilitative services to central New Jersey residents. As a designated teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the hospital maintains a family medicine residency program with 21 residents. RWJUH Somerset has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence. As the first hospital in New Jersey to offer primary health care services for the LGBTQIA community, RWJUH Somerset has been honored as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign. The Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJUH Somerset has been designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. RWJBarnabas Health and RWJUH Somerset in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - bring a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
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