The struggle to eliminate New Jersey's food deserts — urban neighborhoods where fresh fruit and vegetables are scare and obesity and diabetes are correspondingly common — is getting critical assistance from two sources.
First, the state Economic Development Authority's New Jersey Food Access Initiative has gotten a loan and a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Second, legislation is before the Assembly that could divert funds from Urban Enterprise Zones to the EDA initiative.
The funding from RWJ was secured by The Reinvestment Fund. It consists of a $10 million loan and $2 million grant, bringing to $18 million the amount TRF has raised thus far.
The Reinvestment Fund is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit community development organization that has helped finance charter schools and supermarkets in underserved areas. It primarily funds projects in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.
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