Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has been awarded a $15,000 Community Challenge grant from AARP to support the expansion of its Planting to End Hunger community garden located at Suydam Street Reformed Church in New Brunswick. The investment will enhance access to fresh, healthy produce for local residents while advancing efforts to combat food insecurity in the community. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility.
Shown at the official check presentation this week are from left to right: Julie Marte, Associate State Director of Outreach and Engagement, AARP New Jersey; Sarah Torres, Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, AARP New Jersey; Dabir Khan, Vice President, Operations, RWJUH; Mariam Merced, Director, Community Health, RWJUH; Patrick Delaney, Chief Operating Officer, RWJUH; Mario Vargas, Vice President, Consistory, Suydam Street Reformed Church; Michael Bobadilla, Captain, New Brunswick Police Department; Alan Lee, President, RWJUH; Kevin McTernan, Vice President, Community Affairs, RWJUH; Jenny Mundell, Vice President, Development, RWJUH.
(New Brunswick, NJ) — Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has been awarded a $15,000 grant from AARP to support the expansion of its Planting to End Hunger community garden located at Suydam Street Reformed Church in New Brunswick. The investment will enhance access to fresh, healthy produce for local residents while advancing efforts to combat food insecurity in the community. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility.
The AARP Community Challenge grant process is highly competitive. RWJUH’s Planting to End Hunger community garden is one of only 22 quick-action livability projects in New Jersey to receive an AARP grant. Nationally, AARP awards 544 Community Challenge grants.
Planting to End Hunger is a collaboration between RWJUH’s Community Health Program and the Suydam Street Reformed Church (SSRC) Health Ministry. The program enlists community volunteers to plant vegetables in the church’s community garden, which supports its Virginia and Anthony Previte Food Pantry. The pantry serves 121 families (438 individuals) monthly.
The new funding will allow the program to expand its planting capacity, improve infrastructure, and increase community engagement through education and volunteer opportunities.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has been awarded a $15,000 Community Challenge grant from AARP to support the expansion of its Planting to End Hunger community garden located at Suydam Street Reformed Church in New Brunswick. The investment will enhance access to fresh, healthy produce for local residents while advancing efforts to combat food insecurity in the community. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility. Shown at the official check presentation this week are AARP leadership, RWJUH leadership and community volunteers who helped plant and maintain the garden.
“We are deeply grateful to AARP for their generous support, which will enable us to expand this important program and help more residents access healthy food options closer to home,” said RWJUH President Alan Lee. “Access to fresh, nutritious food is essential for good health, yet far too many individuals and families in our community face barriers to obtaining it.”
"Helping people live healthier, more secure lives starts in the communities they call home," said Chris Widelo, State Director of AARP New Jersey. "Through the AARP Community Challenge, we're proud to support the expansion of the Planting to End Hunger garden, where new raised beds and improved infrastructure will help volunteers grow more fresh produce for the hundreds of New Brunswick residents who rely on the Virginia and Anthony Previte Food Pantry each month. This project reflects AARP's commitment to investing in local solutions that help people stay healthy, connected, and independent as they age."
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has been awarded a $15,000 Community Challenge grant from AARP to support the expansion of its Planting to End Hunger community garden located at Suydam Street Reformed Church in New Brunswick. The investment will enhance access to fresh, healthy produce for local residents while advancing efforts to combat food insecurity in the community. RWJUH is an RWJBarnabas Health facility. Here, community volunteers help maintain the garden.
The expansion plans include adding six new large, raised garden beds to the 880-square-foot garden. According to RWJUH Community Health Director Mariam Merced, the additional funding from AARP has had a “ripple effect” in the community, strengthening her department’s ability to engage more community stakeholders including volunteers, church members, support group members, and the New Brunswick Police and Fire Departments to renovate the space, plant and harvest the produce.
“This will also give our nutritionist opportunities to educate garden volunteers on healthy eating and physical activity,” Merced notes. “We will also provide education to the community, specifically our Latino Diabetes Support Group, on how to identify herbs and vegetables for planting that are both healthy and culturally appropriate for their diets.”
In addition to awarding RWJUH a Challenge Grant this year, AARP previously supported RWJUH’s innovative Pathway to Nursing Program, which pairs New Brunswick Health Science High School students with RWJUH nurse mentors. The program’s goal is to encourage students to pursue nursing careers and help RWJUH nurses enhance their leadership skills.
Planting to End Hunger is part of a broader commitment across RWJBarnabas Health to address food insecurity in New Jersey. Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in many communities, often contributing to chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. RWJBarnabas Health’s goal is to improve public health outcomes across New Jersey by increasing access to fresh produce and promoting healthy dietary habits.
The health system has launched programs such as Food Farmacies in Middlesex, Essex, Hudson and Mercer Counties to help achieve this goal. Food Farmacies are healthy food pantries offering fresh produce as well as refrigerated and shelf-stable foods. Registered dietitians provide counseling, healthy recipes, and education to address chronic conditions and help participants cook nutritious meals. Food Farmacies distributed over 330,000 pounds of food to over 50,000 individuals in 2025 alone. Since 2023, RWJBarnabas Health has donated over 500 tons of food through its food insecurity programs, including Food
Farmacies, Common Market partnership, the Beth Greenhouse, community gardens and more.
Community members interested in volunteering or participating in the Planting to End Hunger community garden program can call 732-247-2050 or e-mail: mariam.merced@rwjbh.org for more information.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 724-bed academic medical center in New Brunswick that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute. RWJUH is home to the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2025-26 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. RWJUH is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Regional Hospital for 2025-2026 with 19 High Performing Adult Specialties and Conditions. Centers of Excellence include heart and vascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics and women’s health. As the only state-designated Adult Level 1 Trauma Center with an ACS COT Level I-verified Pediatric Trauma Center in New Jersey, RWJUH serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick
Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568