CUMAC/ECHO

Begun in the late 1970s, we have grown from a tiny food pantry in a church closet, to a 28,000 square foot facility in downtown Paterson that houses a job training facility, a thrift shop, food storage for other local agencies and a busy food pantry providing both ongoing and emergency relief to clients. In addition, we sponsor an after-school tutorial program in conjunction with the South-West Paterson Cooperative Parish of the United Methodist Church.



As the largest food distribution program in Passaic County, we regularly feed over 2000 low-income families a month while advocating for policy changes which will affect the root causes of an inexcusable poverty. Fifty-percent of our clients are children; thirty-percent are senior citizens; and thirty-percent suffer from chronic illness. Our work relies heavily on donations from individuals and groups, and is also made possible by state, county and agency grants, income from our thrift shop and proceeds from fundraising events.