CUMAC

What CUMAC does

CUMAC/ECHO, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1985 in Paterson, New Jersey, to fight hunger and its root causes through a holistic, trauma-informed approach. The organization operates three core service lines: an appointment-based Choice Marketplace at a 28,000 sq ft headquarters at 223 Ellison Street, a Mobile Pantry unit that visits four New Jersey towns each week across a 16-municipality service area (including Paterson, Woodland Park, Clifton, Passaic, and Wayne), and a Benefits Enrollment Center that connects community members with NJ SNAP, Summer EBT, and Medicare resources. CUMAC explicitly distinguishes its programming from a traditional emergency food pantry by giving guests dignity and agency in selecting fresh produce and lean meats, and by hiring community members to drive program design.

The underlying operating model is community-led and trauma-informed, with CUMAC's positioning centered on the principle that "choice is too often taken away in poverty." Revenue flows primarily from individual charitable donations (marketed at a 1:6.50 leverage ratio of donated dollars to market-rate grocery value delivered), government grants and political funding (notably a $250,000 delivery from NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin), and corporate partnerships such as the PSE&G food rescue alliance. Distribution site relationships with the Boys and Girls Clubs and Greater Bergen Community Action extend the physical footprint without capital expenditure. The organization also runs a merchandise line (CUMAC Gear) as a supplementary funding channel, and maintains financial documents including 2020-2021 audits and 2023-2024 990 forms on its website.

From an investor perspective, CUMAC is not a for-profit enterprise; it is a mission-driven community asset governed by a board of directors with no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or parent-company ownership. No app, API, AI/ML systems, patents, or proprietary technology stack are referenced in the source material, and the operational backbone is human-coordinated volunteer and staff capacity rather than software platforms. The strategic question for capital allocators is how an established, durable nonprofit organization of this scale sustains and grows its donor base, government funding, and volunteer pipeline — rather than unit economics or platform defensibility in the conventional VC sense.

Name

CUMAC

Legal name

CUMAC/ECHO, Inc.

Website

https://cumac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CUMAC/ECHO, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Paterson, New Jersey that fights hunger and its root causes through an appointment-based Choice Marketplace, a weekly Mobile Pantry serving 16 towns, and a Benefits Enrollment Center for SNAP and Medicare navigation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paterson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The organization relies on charitable donations from individuals and organizations. Every $1 donated equals $6.50 of market-rate groceries for neighbors.
2. Government Grants and Funding: CUMAC receives government support including grants from Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin ($250K delivered) and participates in programs like Summer EBT and NJ SNAP.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CUMAC is a nonprofit anti-hunger organization that distributes groceries and basic necessities to families and individuals in need through an appointment-based Choice Marketplace in Paterson, NJ and a Mobile Pantry Unit that visits four towns weekly. It operates a Benefits Enrollment Center to help community members connect with SNAP and Medicare resources, and sells branded merchandise (CUMAC Gear) to support its mission.

Product overview

CUMAC is a nonprofit anti-hunger organization operating as a single unified service model, not a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings consist of the Choice Marketplace (an appointment-based food distribution program), the Mobile Pantry (mobile food distribution visiting multiple towns weekly), the Benefits Enrollment Center (helping connect families with SNAP and Medicare), and CUMAC Gear (merchandise store). All programs operate under a trauma-informed, upstream approach to address the root causes of hunger while providing food with dignity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• $1 donated equals $6.50 of market-rate groceries

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• PSE&GnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSE&G supports CUMAC's food rescue operations. The partnership helps ensure good food gets to families who need it most, supporting both the Marketplace and Mobile Unit operations.
• Boys and Girls ClubminorOthersBoys and Girls Club locations serve as Mobile Pantry distribution sites in Clifton and Woodland Park.
• Greater Bergen Community ActionminorOthersGreater Bergen Community Action East Side Location in Paterson serves as a Mobile Pantry distribution site.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Meals on Wheels of New Jersey: Regional Meals on Wheels affiliate addressing senior hunger through home-delivered meals. Comparable NJ footprint and anti-hunger mission, but focused on home-delivered meals to seniors rather than community-based choice marketplace.

Others

• WhyHunger: National nonprofit focused on ending hunger through advocacy, resource mobilization, and supporting grassroots food justice organizations. Thematically aligned but operates as an enabling and advocacy organization rather than direct food distributor.

Direct peers

• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Washington DC metro area with food distribution, mobile pantries, and nutrition programs. Comparable scale, mobile distribution cadence, and community-based service model.
• Greater Bergen Community Action: Northern NJ anti-poverty organization that already hosts CUMAC's Mobile Pantry distribution. Directly comparable anti-hunger mission with overlapping NJ service geography and beneficiary population.
• Community Food Bank of New Jersey: Largest food bank in New Jersey, distributing food across the state including Passaic County where CUMAC operates. Directly comparable mission (food distribution to people in need), model, and geographic overlap, though at substantially larger scale.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization distributing food to communities in need. Comparable food rescue and choice-based distribution model with mobile pantry elements.
• Food Bank of South Jersey: Regional food bank serving southern New Jersey with food distribution and anti-hunger programs. Comparable nonprofit food bank model and target beneficiary population.

Broad incumbents

• Philabundance: Largest food bank in the Philadelphia region serving multiple counties. Comparable regional food bank model serving low-income communities with choice-based distribution components.
• Feeding America: Nationwide network of 200+ food banks, including NJ-affiliated members. National umbrella organization that supports and aggregates regional food banks like CUMAC through sourcing, logistics, and grants.
• Food Bank for New York City: Major NYC-area food bank operating a citywide hunger-relief network. Comparable mission and model but operates at significantly larger scale and urban density than CUMAC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cumacecho
• Xx.com/CUMACFeeds
• Facebookfacebook.com/CUMACFeedsPeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cumac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CUMAC