Community Updates

Local New Jersey Peaches Support Hunger Relief

Peach season is upon us – an abundance of fresh, plump and perfectly juicy peaches available at every turn, from local farmers’ markets to grocery stores. But each time consumers shop for this delicious fruit, they search for the perfect peach. What does this mean for New Jersey peach farmers?

Six years ago, Campbell and the Food Bank of South Jersey decided to do something about it.

Published 7 years ago | About a 1 minute read

Six years ago, Campbell and the Food Bank of South Jersey decided to do something about it.

The result was Just Peachy, a shelf-stable peach salsa which uses nearly 90,000 pounds of nutritionally sound, but undersized peaches. This salsa was developed by a cross functional team of Campbell employees and is produced at Campbell’s World Headquarters in Camden, NJ, thanks to the volunteer efforts of more than 100 employees.

Just Peachy is sold at local retail locations with proceeds benefiting the Food Bank of South Jersey and its nine hunger relief programs. In the first five years of the program, the Food Bank has generated more than $350,000 in revenue and provided 600,000 meals to thousands of food insecure families in our region. In addition, area peach farmers have saved nearly a half million dollars in dumping fees since the program’s inception.

“Just Peachy is the perfect example of a triple win – we are diverting peaches from landfill, Campbell employees are using their skills and expertise and the Food Bank can serve even more of our food insecure neighbors,” said Val Traore, CEO of the Food Bank of South Jersey.

This year’s run produced 42,000 jars which are on sale now at more than 90 Southern NJ retailers including ShopRite stores, local farmers’ markets and specialty food stores.

To find a store near you, please visit: http://foodbanksj.org/JustPeachySalsa/