CUMAC is a nonprofit organization that has been serving Paterson, NJ for over 30 years. Our mission is to feed people & change lives. We work to alleviate hunger & its root causes in Paterson, Passaic County & northern NJ. To that end we operate 5 key programs:
1. The Pantry, our original program, provides food assistance in the form of bagged groceries to an average of 2600 people each month.
2. The Depot distributes shared food resources to a network of over 40 partner feeding programs. CUMAC's warehouse, refrigeration, trucking & equipment make us uniquely capable to serve this role & ultimately provide over 2 million lbs. of food each year.
3. The Community Closet is a resource for both disaster recovery & building the self-sufficiency of neighborhood residents. It provides free clothing & household items to families experiencing hardship while excess is sold at a nominal cost to the community, and all proceeds support our programs.
4. Pathways to Work offers people experience in the Pantry, Depot or CC to build necessary job skills & move toward gainful employment.
5. The Place of Promise is a permanent supportive housing program which endeavors to serve men and women with disabilities who are chronically homeless.
In addition to these programs, CUMAC runs a number of seasonal drives to address particular community needs, and takes an active role in advocacy on behalf of our clients.