Center for Food Action

What Center for Food Action does

The Center for Food Action (CFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1976 that provides emergency food, homelessness prevention, and utility assistance to low-income residents of Bergen and Passaic counties in Northern New Jersey. Operating from its headquarters in Englewood, CFA runs five fixed food pantry locations—Englewood, Hackensack, Saddle Brook, Mahwah, and Ringwood—along with a Mobile Food Pantry that brings food directly into underserved neighborhoods. Its core program portfolio includes the Emergency Food Program, Homelessness Prevention, Utility Assistance, Mobile Food Pantry, Weekend Snack Packs, Healthy Smile Packs, and a Community Garden Program based at the Englewood Organic Garden.

CFA's distribution model relies on a network of physical pantry sites combined with mobile outreach, plus targeted in-school and community-based supplementary programs such as the Weekend Snack Packs and Healthy Smile Packs. The organization is preparing to mark its 50th anniversary in 2026, with a 50th Anniversary Fall Fundraiser scheduled for October 22, 2025, and continues to run recurring events including the CFA Run/Walk in May, the Fall Fundraiser in October, and MLK Day of Service / National Day of Service volunteer mobilizations.

As a charity, CFA's economic model is donation-driven rather than revenue-generating. Funding comes from individual donors, corporate giving, planned and legacy gifts, and in-kind food donations; the organization accepts cryptocurrency and offers structured planned-giving channels. The nonprofit is governed as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) (EIN 22-2189072) and operates without a disclosed technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, or publicly reported financial statements. No headcount, payroll, or annual budget figures are disclosed in available materials.

Name

Center for Food Action

Legal name

Center for Food Action

Website

https://www.cfanj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Food Action is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 that provides emergency food, homelessness prevention, and utility assistance to low-income residents across Bergen and Passaic counties in Northern New Jersey via five fixed pantries and a mobile food program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services (Nonprofit Food and Housing Assistance)

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Homelessness prevention services
• Food pantry programs
• Utility assistance programs
• Community nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Jersey

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies primarily on individual donations from the community, including year-end gifts, general fund donations, and one-time contributions to support emergency food and homelessness prevention services.
2. Corporate Giving and Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide financial support through donations, matching gift programs, event sponsorships, and workplace giving initiatives.
3. Planned and Legacy Gifts: Bequests through wills and living trusts, IRA charitable rollovers for donors 70½ years or older, and beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies.
4. Food Donations: Community food donations through food drives, corporate food drives, and direct food contributions to pantry locations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Center for Food Action provides emergency food assistance, homelessness prevention, and utility assistance services to residents of Bergen and Passaic counties in Northern New Jersey. Services are delivered free of charge through five fixed pantry locations, a mobile food pantry, and direct financial assistance programs, supplemented by weekend snack packs for children, healthy smile packs for hygiene, and a community garden program.

Product overview

Center for Food Action operates as a single-program social services organization offering emergency food assistance and homelessness prevention services. The core offering is a unified service model providing emergency food, homelessness prevention, and utility assistance, delivered through multiple programmatic arms including the Mobile Food Pantry, Weekend Snack Packs, Healthy Smile Packs, and Community Garden Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Program Provides nutritious groceries to individuals and families during times of crisis to prevent hunger and support community stability.
• Homelessness Prevention Program Helps residents remain in their homes through financial support and case management, addressing rent and utilities while reducing eviction risk.
• Utility Assistance Assists households with heating and electricity costs to maintain essential services and protect health and safety during financial hardship.
• Mobile Food Pantry Delivers fresh, healthy food directly into underserved neighborhoods, expanding access for families to receive support where they live.
• Weekend Snack Pack Program Equips children with nourishing, easy-to-prepare food for weekends to bridge the gap between school meals and support consistent nutrition access.
• Healthy Smile Packs Supplies hygiene essentials to children, adults, and families, promoting wellness and dignity while ensuring access to everyday necessities.
• Community Garden Program (Englewood Organic Garden) Englewood Organic Garden Program that provides community-based food production and access to fresh produce.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network for food banks including NJ affiliates. Sets national standards, captures major corporate and federal funding, and influences grant allocation to member pantries like CFA's network peers.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark: Large multi-program NJ social services nonprofit providing emergency assistance, housing support, and food programs across an overlapping region. Comparable service breadth (food + housing + utilities) but operates at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• City Harvest: NYC-based food rescue and emergency food provider with mobile distributions and pantries. Comparable hybrid fixed-site-plus-mobile model and emergency-feeding mission, operating in an adjacent metro market.
• Interfaith Food Pantry: Northern New Jersey community food pantry operating multiple distribution sites with a similar client-choice pantry model. Direct comparable in scale, geography, and service delivery approach.
• Community FoodBank of New Jersey: Feeding America affiliate serving New Jersey with emergency food distribution, pantries, and nutrition programs. Directly comparable food-assistance mission and overlapping NJ donor pool, though operating at significantly larger scale across more counties.
• Food Bank for New York City: Major regional food bank serving NYC with pantries, mobile distributions, and nutrition programs. Closely comparable service model (emergency food, mobile pantry, anti-hunger advocacy) and donor base type, though larger metro geography.

Regional players

• Table to Table: New Jersey-based food rescue organization that collects surplus food and distributes to pantries including CFA and similar partners. Closely aligned mission and NJ footprint, operating upstream in the food recovery chain.
• Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County: Northern NJ housing-focused nonprofit providing housing stability services in the same Bergen County geography as CFA. Comparable local footprint and overlapping donor pool for homelessness-prevention funding.
• Food Bank of South Jersey: Regional Feeding America affiliate serving southern New Jersey counties with food distribution and pantries. Similar mission and operating model; competes with CFA for statewide NJ foundation and corporate donations.

Others

• United Way of Northern New Jersey: Regional funder and social services coordinator that grants to and partners with food/housing nonprofits in CFA's service area. Functions as both a potential funding source and an indirect peer for donor dollars in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cfa201
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/centerforfoodaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/foodaction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-food-action
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforfoodaction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Center for Food Action