Dear Community Member,

Starting on Nov. 1, approximately 75,000 Camden County children and families will be at immediate risk of not having enough food because their benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be suspended. This means about 14% of our residents in Camden County will be forced to depend on local resources like the Food Bank of South Jersey to put food on their table. This will be the first time in 61 years that there will be a break in service for SNAP beneficiaries. As such, the Camden County Board of Commissioners and the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey are collaborating to ask for your help to bridge the SNAP gap here in Camden County. SNAP benefits help more than 800,000 New Jerseyans across 400,000 households afford nutritious food. Almost half are children, nearly 1 in 3 are individuals with a disability, and 1 in 5 are senior citizens. In Camden County, approximately 75,000 residents currently receive SNAP benefits. As a community, we want to help bridge the SNAP gap while benefits are suspended, and we implore you and the greater business community to help ensure children and families do not go hungry because of this break in service. Below are a few ways that you and your employees can help to relieve the pressure on the Food Bank of South Jersey:

• Provide a monetary donation to the Food Bank of South Jersey. The Food Bank has made monetary donations its number priority, because they can leverage their buying power and procure items for 10 cents on the dollar.
• Run a food drive on behalf of Food Bank of South Jersey, who will provide your company with a collection station for nonperishable goods.
• Identify a local food pantry from this list www.camdencounty.com/snap-benefits-set-to-be- suspended-due-to-shutdown/ and give directly to them.

Thank you for taking the time to review this letter. We want to thank you for assisting the children and families of Camden County. If you have any questions about this program, you can visit www.camdencounty.com/help-bridge-the-snap-gap/ or call (856) 225-5431.

Sincerely,

Christina Renna
President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey