The second spotlight in our Hunger Action Month series is Claudia Wheeler, a force of nature who founded the SALT Foundation, a food rescue organization, on New Year’s Eve 2017.
No stranger to community service, the long-time teacher and Navy veteran had been involved in food rescue and distribution through her church for many years before starting her nonprofit. She began operations in 2018 with the mission to preserve food and family by helping ensure extra food does not go to waste—and goes instead to the communities that need it.
Based in East Brunswick and Jersey City, SALT picks up unsold produce and other foods from supermarkets and farm rescue organizations to distribute to people dealing with food insecurity. Her team also receives underwear, toiletries, and school supplies from supporting retailers to distribute—part of SALT’s expanded mission to “meet the people where they are” to help them get the assistance they need.
One expression of this is the SALT Foundation’s Nourish Fest, which Claudia describes as “a series of impactful gatherings designed to foster community spirit, promote health and wellness, and celebrate cultural diversity within our communities..”
The events are focused on providing essential resources to the community while promoting food security and improving nutrition. The first one was in Irvington on August 31 and others are being planned. This speaks to Claudia’s tenet that the SALT Foundation is more than donating rescued food.
“We are here to show the community how much we care,” said Claudia. “We talk to residents to find out what they need and how they’re feeling. Thanks to our other relationships outside of food organizations, we can then guide people elsewhere for assistance.”
SALT Foundation was present this spring at Hudson County’s first Food Security Summit, which included representatives from all levels of statewide government to discuss the root causes of hunger and solutions to combat food insecurity.
Expansion spurred by COVID
In its first few years, Claudia built trusted relationships with retailers that got on board to donate extra food inventory, including Trader Joe’s and Walmart. When the pandemic hit and many businesses closed or curtailed their operation—and many consumers also stopped in-store shopping, SALT Foundation built additional partnerships with more supermarkets as well as catering businesses. The caterers helped her organize drive-through food pickups in their parking lots and Claudia coordinated additional grocery pickups at her church to distribute all the food her volunteers were picking up.
“I called church members and told everyone to come to the church parking lot, wear a mask, and tell everyone what we’re doing,” said Claudia. She added that in addition to its regular donation partners, SALT still donates rescued food to the church once a month so it can continue to serve the community there.
SALT’s efforts caught the attention of Jersey City officials who asked how they could amplify the organization’s activities to help more residents. The city council soon provided an area for weekly drive-throughs and she used the power of social media to let people know where she and her team would be.
SALT’s expansion continues
SALT Foundation’s reach has continued to grow through expanded partnerships, including Local Share NJ, a farm rescue organization that allows SALT to glean from its fields during the growing season. SALT’s volunteer base has grown as well. Several chefs have joined the advisory board; these culinary professionals have been encouraging her to host events around nutrition (such as Nourish Fest) to take SALT’s work to a different level in the community. Programs that teach people how to prep healthful meals for their families, cook certain produce, or help a neighbor in need are percolating among her team right now.
SALT is also expanding its footprint, distributing rescued food in Perth Amboy once a week through the Puerto Rican Association of Human Development. Claudia hopes to bring her mission to more underserved communities and develop more partnerships with other nonprofit organizations.
About That Making a Difference Award …When Claudia received the email in 2023 telling her she was nominated for a Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award, she said “It blew my mind to realize people see me and wanted me to be honored. Getting the award was amazing and to see what people said about my work was humbling.”
She credits the award with helping publicize SALT Foundation more widely, and she hopes to network with and partner with other honorees who work in the food security space to help more communities throughout New Jersey. Read all about the nonprofit or subscribe to its newsletter at https://www.saltfoundationinc.org. You can also follow SALT on Instagram and Facebook.
