Fighting food insecurity in the City of Camden

The American Water Charitable Foundation and New Jersey American Water provided $30,000 to The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation’s Get Ready Fest® to help fight food insecurity, supporting 1,000 pre-identified households in the City of Camden.

“The American Water Charitable Foundation is pleased to partner with Malcolm Jenkins and The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, to support food insecure households in the City of Camden,” said Carrie Williams, president, American Water Charitable Foundation.  “We have a strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity and are proud to collaborate with organizations that share that similar passion for supporting and having a positive impact on communities served by American Water.”

Get Ready Fest® is The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation’s (“TMJF”) signature community outreach event to build awareness of food insecurity and other major issues within vulnerable communities.  Families are provided resources in the areas of education, career readiness and employment, housing, financial literacy, health and wellness, senior and veteran services and COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.  A capstone of the event is the TMJF Pop-up Grocery store that provides families with 40 pounds of food to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for up to 10 days.

“With school back in session, Get Ready Fest® was created to provide relief to families during tough times where they are balancing additional costs of school supplies, clothing, gas and putting food on the table.  We are so thankful for the generosity from the American Water Charitable Foundation and New Jersey American Water whose commitment to community outreach and bettering the lives of others have shone through their contributions and onsite support,” said Gwendolyn V. Jenkins, President and CEO of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation.

The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation has served over 10,000 families (approximately 40,000+ individuals) to date.

“New Jersey American Water is delighted to partner with The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation to help provide equitable opportunities for Camden residents,” said Mark McDonough, president, New Jersey American Water.  “We are committed to supporting organizations that make our communities a better place to live and work for our customers and employees.”

In addition, several American Water and New Jersey American Water employees joined the event and donated their time to help pack boxes, distribute food and more.

Learn more about New Jersey American Water’s community impact here.

Learn more about the American Water Charitable Foundation, including additional grant opportunities here.