Hudson County and Bayonne officials today announced they have broken ground on a new consumer choice food pantry in the Peninsula City to be dubbed the “Hudson County Community Market.”
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
In addition to Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, Bayonne Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and Assemblyman Jerry Walker (D-31), various county officials attended as well including Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) Executive Officer Norman Guerra.
“We’re here to celebrate Hudson County’s continued investment in addressing food insecurity and expanding access to nutritious food for the Bayonne residents,” Guerra said.
“This project reflect County Executive Craig Guy’s commitment creating long-term resources that will serve Bayonne residents for years to come.”
Located at 685 Broadway in Bayonne, the building is being
The new facility seeks to provide residents with a more dignified and accessible way to receive food assistance by allowing individuals and families to select items that best meet their household needs, as if they were shopping in a supermarket.
This differs from a traditional food pantry, at which attendees are typically handed a pre-determined bag or box of food.
According to Guerra, while this was the ground-breaking for the 13,000 foot structure, construction has already been underway by the HCIA for the past three to four months or so.
He anticipated a ribbon cutting to open the completed facility before 2027, thanking stakeholders involved like architects and engineers from Warren-based PS&S, LLC and Little Falls-based MAST Construction, as well as general contractor Newark-based Bismarck Construction Corp.
They all have been working with Hudson County Department of Health and Human Services Director Darice Toon for the programming and design of the building.
In addition, Bismarck has entered into a project labor agreement with the Hudson County Building and Construction Trades union, and owner’s representative for the project Morristown-based M&M Construction is responsible for managing the whole project and the daily activity.
According to Guy, the establishment will be known as the “Hudson County Community Market” and will be the first of its kind.
“When we first took office, this was one of the top three things that we wanted to accomplish in the first term,” he recalled.
“We wanted to put some brick-and-mortar behind what we say every day and what we said on the campaign trail to feed our most vulnerable and to make those folks feel comfortable when they’re coming in.”
Guy said there county is proud of its efforts to bring this to fruition, crediting Toon for meeting with him and discussing goals and objectives early on in the process.
“Darice and I were clear that this is what we needed. We needed a food pantry in this section of Hudson County that would not serve their own residents, but would serve hopefully the central to the south part of Jersey City,” he continued.
According to Guy, the construction of this food pantry is another step towards ensuring that every member of the community can be fed- and with dignity.
“There’s no reason why, in the year 2026, that we should be having our citizens suffer from food insecurity. But it’s true. We see it every day. We all see those lines,” the county executive added.
Guy thanked Ashe-Nadrowski for her partnership as he looked forward to continue to serve Bayonne residents, along with the rest of Hudson County.
He also touted former Gov. Phil Murphy (D) for assisting financially with the project when he was in office to the tune of nearly $5 million.
On top of that, Guy said that the county utilized approximately $1.3 million in leftover American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for a combined $6 million in state and federal funding propping up the project.
He thanked Walker and Assemblyman William Sampson (LD-31), who was not present but had a representative on site, for their roles in securing that state funding.
“This is a long-term investment in Hudson County. We see it being built now. I’d have it no other way, Patty, than to build it with union labor,” Guy added.
“I always say this, at the point of being redundant, when we talk these kind of brick-and-mortar projects, the first thing we talk about is labor. Number one, it’s labor. Number two, it’s how do we get the money to supplement the project?”
Guy said the pantry will serve different purposes, whether it be to provide parents with cereal, baby formula, or other family needs, or whether it be to allow access to healthy foods for seniors and adults.
He also gave big thanks to Guerra and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19), who would’ve attended if he was not out of state.
Further, Ashe-Nadrowski started off thanking Guy for his leadership and commitment to addressing the concern of food insecurity, especially in Bayonne, as well as for the assistance of the Hudson County Department of Health and Human Services and the HCIA for their hard work and vision on the project.
“It’s a pleasure to join you here today as we break ground on this project that represents more than just a new building, it represents hope, dignity, and a step forward to end food insecurity,” she stated.
“Hudson County has been a valued partner in serving our community through food distributions.”
According to Ashe-Nadrowski, this builds upon existing partnerships with local groups who distribute food like Hunger Free Unity in the Community – which began as Hunger Free Bayonne – led by Stephanie Glover-Wilson both in Bayonne and throughout Hudson County.
“Today, breaking ground builds upon that partnership in a meaningful and lasting way,” the mayor continued.
“No one should have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, yet for too many individuals and families food insecurity remains a real issue. That’s why investments like these are so important.”
Ashe-Nadrowski also said that, not only will this facility allow residents to select the food they receive from the pantry, it will also house offices on the floor above to provide additional county resources to Bayonne residents and beyond.
“This is a wonderful thing. I’m proud to be here as a representative of our speaker, because the number one mission is food insecurity. So I appreciate this and it’s going to be a blessing to a lot of residents in Bayonne and Jersey City,” indicated Walker.
Additionally, Hudson County Building and
“Hudson County is still the engine in the state, and we need to continue to make sure we have our legislative members, and Craig, and all the commissioners come down and support projects to bring this back up to Hudson County, especially the food pantry,” Kelleher said.
“You got the senior veterans building next door. The importance of veterans getting men and women into the unions, we’re a big proponent of here.”
Further, Toon emphasized how the consumer’s ability to select their food from the pantry, as opposed to receiving free bags of pre-packed food aims to ensure resources are distributed fairly.
There already is a facility called the “Hudson County Community Market”: it is located in Union City and is operated by The Food Brigade, a regional hunger-relief nonprofit that operates free Community Markets (food pantries) in Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic Counties.