Taking a holistic approach to combat hunger is the core of CUMAC’s mission, providing a variety of resources to Passaic families to help them thrive.
What is CUMAC?
CUMAC is a trauma-informed, anti-hunger agency committed to providing basic necessities to individuals and families throughout Passaic County, New Jersey.
CUMAC is deeply embedded within the Paterson community, going beyond direct food distribution by incorporating comprehensive wraparound services that address the root causes of food insecurity.
CUMAC’s main resources include its Choice Marketplace, a Mobile Pantry, Home Delivery program, and various wraparound services aimed to respond to the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and to maximize awareness of Positive Childhood Experiences (PACEs).
The strategy is to reduce toxic stress and potential traumatic events on young, growing minds by assuring everyone is fed and that financial stressors (such as utilities, grocery, and medical costs) can be alleviated.
CUMAC’s Choice Marketplace
CUMAC’s Choice Marketplace provides Passaic County’s families and individuals with the ability to pick out fresh food, as well as other groceries, for free. CUMAC’s guest families are able to save their money for other necessities or emergencies without having to worry about food expenses.
Passaic County residents that qualify for CUMAC’s Choice Marketplace register for an appointment once a month, then are able to “shop” for a week’s worth of produce, canned goods, frozen foods, eggs, milk, and more. On average, a CUMAC family saves approximately $200 in market-rate grocery costs per person, per month.
CUMAC’s Choice Marketplace is stocked through buying in bulk, as well as a robust food rescue team, which helps to reduce unnecessary food waste. Rescued food is typically surplus from stores that would have otherwise been thrown away in landfills due to the store’s own internal policy or lack of space. However, most of the time, the food rescued by CUMAC and comparable gleaning pantries is still perfectly suitable to eat.
The food rescue team has trucks that go to nearby stores, freight stops, farms and even Amazon warehouses for surplus items that can be rescued and redistributed to those in need. The Amazon items add some variety, often including cleaning supplies, pet food, and beauty products. Despite being unopened, they would have been thrown out if not for CUMAC’s food rescue team.
The rescued food is then sorted by CUMAC’s volunteers (1,200+ annually), then distributed through the Choice Marketplace, Mobile Pantry, or via Home Delivery (serving ~200 unique families per day).
CUMAC also invests in proactive purchase of high-need foods, such as eggs and milk.
This comprehensive, multi-faceted model provides community members with access to fresh foods and other products that they otherwise would not have been able to afford.
CUMAC’s Mobile Pantry
CUMAC’s Mobile Pantry goes through all 16 municipalities in Passaic County to deliver fresh food to residents.
CEO Jessica Padilla Gonzalez emphasized that the Mobile Pantry helps reach new residents of Passaic County for whom lack of transportation was a main barrier to accessing the CUMAC’s Marketplace.
This effort further combats food insecurity, by providing direct access to food and necessities to those who are unable to come to CUMAC’s doors.
CUMAC focuses on partnering with community organizations, hospitals, and other locations to send the Mobile Pantry’s dedicated staff members to provide food and assist with benefits applications.
However, CUMAC also brings other services for Passaic County families and individuals that go beyond food access.
CUMAC’s Wraparound Services
CUMAC understands that food insecurity is not the sole experience that Passaic County families and individuals may be facing, providing additional wraparound services.
CUMAC is a statewide expert on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and shares their applied knowledge about the impacts of early trauma and methods of healing with other nonprofit and food pantry partners serving in their area.
As of 2024, CUMAC was designated an official Anchor Organization of the NJ State Office of Resilience. The office plans to release technical assistance supports and materials to organizations seeking to become more trauma-informed, as well as for the public looking to find trauma-informed organizations in their area.
CUMAC’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) offer free help with benefits applications, such as for SNAP, LIHEAP, General Assistance, and Medicaid. All is in an effort to alleviate family budgets and maximize potential for positive childhood wellbeing.
CUMAC feeds people five days per week and is currently seeing as many as 40 to 45 new families per day. As Jessica put it, “more people continue to come to CUMAC because of positive word-of-mouth from friends and neighbors. They learn that they can trust our staff to help.”
What Sets CUMAC Apart?
CUMAC takes a community-based approach to anticipate the needs of families and seeks to be seen as a “one-stop-shop” for trusted resources.
From 2023 to 2024, CUMAC saw a 35% increase in people coming to their doors for resources – whether it’s through the Choice Marketplace or Benefits Enrollment Center.
As of June, CUMAC is already seeing a similar upward trend in 2025. According to the CEO, if social benefits programs are cut at the federal level, CUMAC will see a stark rise in the number of people seeking support to feed their family.
CUMAC works to break cycles of generational trauma and poverty for New Jersey families, alleviating stressors and assuring that community members gain the agency and ability to thrive.
