Hands of Hope for The Community

In 1992, Hands of Hope, Inc. began serving the community as a food pantry, soup kitchen, and limited clothes closet. Today, the program continues to operate from St. James Church in Edison, NJ. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) community-based organization, Hands of Hope remains committed to providing an efficient and effective system for distributing food to alleviate hunger, one family at a time. We operate entirely with the help of volunteers, as we do not have any paid staff.

​​In March 2020, in response to the onset of COVID-19, Hands of Hope revamped its operations to ensure the safety of our volunteers and clients. We transitioned to a drive-up model, allowing clients to remain in their cars while volunteers placed food directly into their vehicles. This method streamlined our process and enabled us to meet the increasing demand. Throughout the pandemic, our generous supporters continued to keep our shelves stocked and contributed over $300,000 in monetary and in-kind donations.

​Throughout late 2023 and early 2024, Hands of Hope faced another uphill challenge as the demand for food skyrocketed by nearly 40% compared to prior years. The board and volunteers worked tirelessly to increase donations and improve efficiency in the drive-thru line. We expanded our partnership with the Community Food Bank of NJ to ensure our shelves remained stocked and continued to meet the needs of our community.