NORTH JERSEY FOOD PANTRY NONPROFIT CHOSEN AS FINALIST TO WIN LAND ROVER RESCUE VEHICLE
Dumont, NJ – October 1, 2025: Local food pantry network The Food Brigade has been selected as a finalist among nonprofits throughout the United States and Canada to win a brand-new Land Rover Defender, for use in its food rescue operations.
The Defender Service Awards, presented by CHASE, honors nonprofit and charitable organizations who exemplify the brand’s ongoing commitment to driving meaningful change through service and humanitarian efforts. Each winner will receive a customized Defender 130 vehicle tailored to their needs, along with a $30,000 award to help advance their mission.
New Jersey’s Food Brigade has been selected as one of five finalists in the Community Service category. Winners will be determined by a public vote, which opens on Friday, October 3 at 12:00 noon. To watch The Food Brigade’s video and cast your vote, visit http://www.landroverusa.com/defenderserviceawards from then through October 19.
“We’re in critical need of a new vehicle”, says Karen DeMarco, President of The Food Brigade, which currently owns only a single rescue vehicle. “Every day, we go to supermarkets, big box retailers, and wholesalers to pick up their unused food before it ends up in dumpsters. The food is perfectly fine and is a vital element in our ability to feed our families.”
Sam Allen, U.S. Brand Director, Defender, said: “As we celebrate five years of the Defender Service Awards, we continue to be inspired by the missions and people of nonprofit and charitable organizations across North America. Their unwavering dedication to service reflects the spirit of the Defender brand and our commitment to supporting those who drive real change in their communities.”
In the last two years, The Food Brigade helped feed nearly 128,000 New Jersey residents dealing with food insecurity, including over 40,000 children. As part of its food assistance operations, last year the organization rescued over 295,000 pounds of food. “Winning this contest would have a tremendous impact in the fight against food insecurity in northern New Jersey”, DeMarco added. “With the help of a Land Rover Defender, we’ll be able to expand our food rescue efforts and better keep up with the increasing need for food assistance that we’ve been seeing.”
The Food Brigade is a New Jersey hunger-relief nonprofit which operates food pantries in three counties for local residents in need of food assistance: the Bergen County Community Market in Dumont, the Hudson County Community Market in Union City, and the Passaic County Community Market in Clifton.
