The Black Interest Team Enterprise (BITE) food pantry and resource center is being evicted from the Jersey City high school its has called home for the past few years.
The nonprofit that provides thousands of meals, household items and clothing every week to a large community of those in dire need must vacate its space in Lincoln High School by July 1, the Jersey City Board of Education voted Tuesday night.
Most Board of Education trustees said that while they support the food bank’s mission, it has become a growing security concern for the district and a cost that taxpayers are burdening that should be going directly to students and their education.
“Although we believe this is a great program, it just needs to be in another location,” said Board President DeJon Morris, who got into a tense exchange with BITE President Bishop Tinia Bland at the meeting.
The food bank operates out of a garage space formerly used for driver’s education and does not pay the district any money for the space, board officials said.
Leaders of the nonprofit, as well as volunteers and recipients spoke in support of keeping Lincoln High as the base of operations, arguing that forcing it out jeopardize access to BITE resources.
“We have in our possession over 2,000 signatures with many more statements,” Bland said. “These are homeowners, these are community members and these are people that need the food in this central location.”
A new location for the pantry has not yet been selected, but is being discussed, said Hudson County District 2 Commissioner Bill O’Dea. Noting that many who advocated for BITE before the board are members of religious organizations, board member Christopher Tisdale suggested that one of these church officials would gladly welcome the nonprofit.
The food bank previously operated out of BITE’s Astor Community Garden, located just a few minutes away by foot,until 2021, when the state shut it down saying it had violated a deal by having “advertising signage” and a portable bathroom.
School board Trustee Natalia Ioffe described the agreement to allow BITE to operate out of Lincoln High School for free as a good faith, temporary agreement made when BITE was displaced.
For over a year now the school board has received frequent complaints from the community about the size of the operation on the school property, she said.
Police have received complaints about litter, public urination and music played there, and there was recently an assault at the space, said Capt. Joseph Olszewski, the commander of the Jersey City Police Department’s West District.
Advocates of the pantry said they find the space peaceful and clean.
Ioffe said she calculated that the district is spending more than $77,000 annually to provide custodial and security services for the food bank.
The Board of Education has tried to find a solution with BITE for over a year, but until now the solution was simply to continue granting BITE more time in the space every month, Ioffe said.
Morris accused Bland of refusing to meet with district officials to discuss the pantry. Bland called that a lie, but admitted she was upset that Morris did not personally reach out to her, but instead reached out through a third party.
O’Dea said he has been working with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority to draw up an agreement to allow BITE to return to the Astor Community Gardenproperty, but it has taken over a year. He is hopeful that the agreement will be reached soon and said he was disappointed that the board made its decision so abruptly.
He said Morris only checked in with him about thatproperty about two weeks ago.
“I wish I was involved in a little more dialogue before the arbitrary date of July 1 was set,” said O’Dea, a candidate for mayor in 2025.
Advocates for BITE say it’s important the pantry remain in the same neighborhood since families may not have reliable transportation to access it elsewhere.
“These food pantries are located at places that are generally for the most part walking distance for the individuals that go there, so moving it two miles would never make sense,” O’Dea said.
Trustee Younass Barkouchwas the only board member to vote against BITE’s removal in a 7-1 decision. Board vice president George Blount was not at the meeting.
“You guys are absolutely ridiculous,” Barkouch told his fellow board members. “You’re telling me this organization feeds nearly 2,000 to 3,000 people a week — a responsibility that should fall on the city, county and state government — and so you have decided, instead of aiding them in their mission to help people that are food insecure, you’ve decided we’re going to make it more difficult for them.”
