HILLSIDE, NJ — The Community FoodBank of New Jersey has said it mourns the death of its founder, Kathleen DiChiara, who gave hope to countless people as she dared to dream of a hunger-free Garden State. DiChiara was a resident of Summit. She died on Friday, Oct. 11, surrounded by her family.
“Kathleen DiChiara was a remarkable person and an inspiration to so many people,” said Joe Dempsey, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s board chairperson. “If you ever wonder what one person can do to have a positive impact on the lives of others, there is no greater example than Kathleen. We will miss her dearly.”
DiChiara’s lifetime of service began in the early 1970s, when she organized the Loaves and Fishes food collection at her church in Summit. In 1975, she founded CFBNJ when she started giving out food from the back of her station wagon in downtown Newark. The organization became an incorporated nonprofit in 1982. Through
DiChiara’s exemplary leadership as executive director until 2015, she propelled the organization towards its mission of ensuring that everyone in New Jersey – at all times – has enough to eat. Today, CFBNJ is the state’s largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization and provides enough food for more than 90 million meals annually.
DiChiara’s compassion and dedication to helping those in need knew no bounds and extended beyond her leadership of CFBNJ. Her visionary approach focused on holistic solutions to food insecurity and poverty. She designed and implemented programs that have been replicated by food banks nationwide and also helped start the National Diaper Bank Network when she learned that food insecure families were struggling to afford diapers, as well.
“Though I only got to meet her a handful of times, I cherished every conversation I had with Kathleen,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, CFBNJ’s current president and CEO – the fourth in the organization’s history. “It is a great honor to walk in her footsteps.”
During her incredible life, DiChiara was recognized by three U.S. presidents, three governors of New Jersey and even Pope John Paul II, among many other prestigious awards and honors. She was a 2013 inductee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and received eight honorary doctorates from colleges and universities in New York and New Jersey.
DiChiara will be greatly missed. Her funeral will be on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 9:30 a.m., at St. Teresa of Avila in Summit. Her family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations are made to CFBNJ:
give.cfbnj.org/Kathleen.
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Williams-Meltzer