New Jersey grows millions of pounds of fresh produce every year. A lot of it never gets to the people who need it most.
Elijah’s Promise is trying to change that — one can of marinara sauce at a time.
The New Brunswick nonprofit launched The Fair Promise Project on Monday night, a partnership with Fairgrown Farm and the New Brunswick Development Corporation that aims to do something nobody has done before: produce industrial-sized #10 cans of Jersey Fresh marinara sauce made specifically for New Jersey’s emergency food network.
This summer, Fairgrown Farm in Hopewell will grow and harvest more than 60,000 pounds of tomatoes. Those tomatoes will be processed into marinara sauce, canned and shipped to community meal programs and hunger relief organizations across the state — including Elijah’s Promise’s own Community Soup Kitchen, Sister Jean’s Kitchen in Atlantic City, and food access initiatives statewide.
It is, by all accounts, the first time this has been done at this scale in New Jersey.
“As food insecurity continues to impact children, families, and seniors, The Fair Promise Project demonstrates how local partnerships can create innovative solutions that connect New Jersey farms with New Jersey communities,” Executive Director Michelle Wilson said.
Elijah’s Promise is well known in Central New Jersey for using food as a tool against poverty — its community kitchen, culinary training programs and mobile food initiatives have been breaking cycles and changing lives for years. The Fair Promise Project is the latest extension of that mission, this time pulling local agriculture into the equation.
Fairgrown Farm brings a philosophy that matches. The Hopewell operation is built around being fair to its team, its land and its community — and by working with regional farming partners, it helps keep New Jersey’s agricultural economy running while ensuring a reliable supply of quality local produce.
DEVCO’s implementation funding made the first year possible, bridging the gap between buying from large commercial suppliers and sourcing small-batch, locally grown tomatoes from dedicated New Jersey farmers.
Wilson said the project is bigger than what ends up in the can.
“It’s about creating a model that strengthens local agriculture, improves food access, and keeps more of New Jersey’s food resources working for New Jersey communities,” she said.
