Hands Of Hope For The Community

What Hands Of Hope For The Community does

Hands Of Hope For The Community Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry founded in 1992 by Jackie Goedesky and based in the basement of St. James Episcopal Church at 2136 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ. It operates a bi-monthly food distribution model (1st and 3rd Saturdays) serving income-eligible residents of Middlesex County, providing non-perishable goods, fresh produce, bakery items, and a hot-lunch program. The organization is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff and a volunteer board that includes a Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Development, Volunteer Manager, and Pantry Manager (Kathy Rockafellow, 18+ years of service).

The organization has built a custom technology platform anchored at registration.hohnj.org for client pre-registration, household management, QR-code check-in, and pantry inventory, with an external outreach dashboard and Okta SSO at login.hohnj.org. It accepts online donations via Square, GiveLively, and PayPal, and operates an online merchandise store at store.hohnj.org. A Youth Ambassador Program at Edison High School and a Middlesex County Food Bank Directory extend its community reach.

Funding is diversified across individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and events. Reported inflows include $300,000+ in pandemic-era donations (2020), a $300,000+ HUD Block Grant for facility upgrades (2024), $230,000+ raised over four years through the Tee Off Against Hunger golf event (2022–2025), $100,000+ annually from 15+ corporate event sponsors, and a $15,000 FirstEnergy Foundation grant (2025). Since March 2020 the organization reports serving 56,000+ individuals and families and meeting a ~40% surge in demand during late 2023 and early 2024 through expanded Community Food Bank of NJ supply and operational restructuring.

Name

Hands Of Hope For The Community

Legal name

Hands Of Hope For The Community Inc.

Website

https://hohnj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hands Of Hope For The Community is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run food pantry in Edison, NJ that distributes groceries to income-eligible Middlesex County residents on a bi-monthly schedule, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief / Food Assistance Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAA

Food Assistance & Food Banks

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAAAD

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

SECONDARYBPADAJAI

Emergency Food Security & Nutrition in Humanitarian Crises

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Food Security & Nutrition Programs

SECONDARYBPAIAKAF

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Social Security, Benefits & Welfare Administration

Keywords

• Food pantry services
• Hunger relief programs
• Emergency food assistance
• Community food distribution
• Nonprofit food bank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations (Food): Accepts donated food including canned goods, dry goods, fresh produce, and bakery items. Adheres to strict food safety guidelines.
2. Monetary Donations: Accepts online donations via Square, GiveLively, and PayPal. Also accepts in-person cash/check and mail-in check donations. All donations are tax-deductible as organization is 501(c)(3).
3. Event Sponsorships: Annual Tee Off Against Hunger golf event raised over $230,000 in four years. Various sponsorship tiers available including Hole In One, Lunch, Aid Station, T-Shirt, and others.
4. Meal Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors can fund individual meals served during distributions. Prices range from $1.50-$2.50 per meal. Holiday meal boxes available for $8.00/box.
5. 501(c)(3) Charitable Donations: Organization holds official 501(c)(3) status (EIN: 20-5818848) enabling tax-deductible donations from individuals and corporations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hands Of Hope For The Community operates a volunteer-run food pantry providing free emergency food assistance to income-eligible Middlesex County, NJ residents through bi-monthly distribution events (1st and 3rd Saturdays) at its Edison location. Services include curated grocery bags with non-perishables, fresh produce, bakery items, and hot lunches, alongside holiday meal boxes, social service referrals, and a Thanksgiving Giveaway, all coordinated through a custom online client registration platform.

Product overview

Hands Of Hope For The Community operates as a food pantry and hunger relief organization serving Middlesex County, NJ. The organization offers a unified service model centered around food distribution (held on the first and third Saturdays), supported by a Client Registration System for managing households and visit tracking. Additional programs include a Youth Ambassador Program for high school students, the Food Bank Directory for finding nearby resources, and event-based fundraising through the Tee Off Against Hunger golf outing. The organization also runs a Sponsorship Program enabling corporate partners to support meal programs and holiday distributions. All services are provided at no cost to clients, with funding through donations, sponsorships, and partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Distribution Services Free bi-monthly food distribution events held on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays (10:30am - 1:30pm) at 2136 Woodbridge Ave, Edison, NJ, providing carefully curated bags/boxes of non-perishable food items, fresh produce, bakery goods, and hot lunches to income-eligible Middlesex County residents facing food insecurity. Includes emergency food assistance, nutrition education, and social service referrals.
• Online Merch Store Online merchandise store selling branded apparel and goods, with proceeds supporting Hands Of Hope's hunger relief mission. Returns accepted only for defective or damaged products within 7 days.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Corporate sponsorship opportunities allowing businesses to fund individual client meals ($1.50–$2.50/meal), holiday meal boxes ($8.00/box), or annual event sponsorships (Hole In One, Lunch, Aid Station, Birdie, Par, T-Shirt, Bay, Bronze, Silver, Eagle, Gold, Title) with brand visibility benefits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56,000+ individuals and families helped since COVID-19
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Hackensack Meridian Health (JFK University Medical Center)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Healthcare partner for Community Health Fair events. Provided free health screenings, nutrition guidance, and fitness demonstrations. Partnership brings healthcare access to food-insecure community members. Located at 65 James St, Edison, NJ.
• First Choice Heating/CoolingmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Honored sponsor at 2025 Tee Off Against Hunger event for their unwavering commitment and generous contributions, both financial and in-kind, supporting hunger-relief programs.
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey (CFBNJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Major food supply partner providing bulk food donations to Hands Of Hope for redistribution to Middlesex County residents. Partnership intensified during COVID-19 pandemic to meet surging demand. Enables organization to keep shelves stocked during 40% demand increase in 2023-2024.
• Replenish (Middlesex County)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Middlesex County government program for food assistance. Partnership provides access to county resources and food supply channels for distribution to residents in need.
• St. James Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost location for Hands Of Hope pantry since founding in 1992. Church provides basement facility space for pantry operations, distribution events, and storage. Critical in-kind partnership enabling 25+ years of continuous service.
• Middlesex County MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes residents across Middlesex County including Edison, Woodbridge, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Metuchen, Piscataway, Carteret, Sayreville, and surrounding 25 towns. Residency verification required for all clients.
• Top Golf EdisonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue host for annual Tee Off Against Hunger event at 1013 US Rt 1 South, Edison, NJ.
• Corporate Meal SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVarious corporate sponsors fund individual meals served during food distributions at $1.50-$2.50 per meal. Enables hot lunch program for clients.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Washington DC metro area, distributing food through a network of partner pantries. Comparably focused on hunger relief with similar upstream-to-downstream pantry relationships, though at significantly larger scale.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization collecting surplus food for distribution to pantries and soup kitchens. Comparably focused on the food assistance mission, but operating across the five boroughs rather than a single county.
• Feeding America: National network of more than 200 food banks, including the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Indirectly comparable as Hands Of Hope sits at the last-mile distribution node of this broader food assistance ecosystem.
• Philabundance: Large regional food bank serving the greater Philadelphia area, including parts of southern New Jersey. Comparable food distribution mission, though at significantly larger scale with paid staff and multiple distribution channels.
• Fulfill NJ (formerly FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties): Regional food bank serving central New Jersey with food distribution, mobile pantries, and nutrition programs. Directly comparable mission in the same state, though it operates at a larger geographic and programmatic scale than Hands Of Hope.
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey: New Jersey's largest food bank and Hands Of Hope's primary upstream supply partner. Operates at much greater scale across the state, providing bulk food donations that Hands Of Hope redistributes. Highly comparable mission but materially larger scope and footprint.

Direct peers

• Mercer Street Friends Food Bank: Central New Jersey-based food bank serving Mercer and surrounding counties with direct food distribution and partner pantry network. Operates in an adjacent geography with a similar community-food-service model.
• Table to Table: New Jersey-based food rescue organization that collects surplus food and redistributes to pantries and meal programs. Comparable New Jersey footprint, mission of directing food to people in need, and similar reliance on volunteers and corporate partnerships.
• Interfaith Food Pantry of the Oranges: Community-based food pantry in northern New Jersey providing direct food distribution to food-insecure households. Operates at a similarly small scale with volunteer-driven distribution, making it the closest direct operational peer to Hands Of Hope.

Others

• WhyHunger: National hunger advocacy and resource organization supporting grassroots food programs, including a national food bank locator. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same hunger-relief ecosystem as Hands Of Hope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hohnj
• Facebookfacebook.com/njhandsofhope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hands-of-hope-for-the-community
• Instagraminstagram.com/mjhandsofhope

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hands Of Hope For The Community