Partner Feature: Dr. Jenny Schrum
Pictured above: December 2023 Partner Feature: Dr. Jenny Schrum, NJ OFSA Research and Evaluation Strategy Manager.
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Dr. Jenny Schrum is the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate’s (NJ OFSA) Research and Evaluation Strategy Manager. Her role includes establishing a theoretical and operational understanding of food security, as well as implementing research efforts to recognize multi-sector best practices and gaps in understanding. Before this role, Dr. Schrum worked as Director of Strategy and Evaluation at City Green, a Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grantee and New Jersey non-profit implementing sustainable agriculture, environmental education and a statewide Good Food Bucks (GusNIP NI) program. Dr. Schrum started her career at Horton’s Kids in Washington, D.C., where she managed a community garden installed by former First Lady Michelle Obama and established food security-focused programming, such as a food pantry, farmers market and nutrition education. In addition to these positions, Dr. Schrum has served on committees with the New Jersey Food Security Initiative, Capital Area Food Bank, the DC Diaper Bank and AmeriCorps. These experiences, coupled with her training as a social work and public health professional, have informed Dr. Schrum’s passion for strengths-based and community-informed evaluation.
Pictured above (left to right): ALTA Impact Partners Founder Valeria Galarza, Senior Research Associate Clare Milburn, Research Associate Grace Stott, Project Manager Katie Nelson, Senior Research Scientist Dr. Eric Calloway and NJ OFSA Research and Evaluation Strategy Manager Dr. Jennifer Schrum.
Please share how you are collaborating with the Center for Nutrition and Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) through the New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (NJ OFSA) and beyond. How will these projects transform the food security landscape in New Jersey?
NJ OFSA is thrilled to collaborate with the Center now and in the future. One project of focus right now is exploring two emerging pillars of food security, agency and sustainability. These pillars help inform a holistic definition of food security that our office will use to foster a common language and understanding of what true food security means. We are working with the Center to explore what these two dimensions mean to people in New Jersey, working within the food system and community members interacting with food system sectors.
We also collaborate with the Center through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Food Security Initiative (NJFSI), where I have helped inform its evaluation design. The initiative brings resources to address barriers to food security reported and identified by community members, cross-sector food access and health professionals. Efforts from the initiative bring essential attention to federal grants and national resource opportunities. New Jersey can benefit from increased participation in these opportunities as we build sustainable funding for food security and a community-informed approach to program design.
One of NJ OFSA’s main goals is “making true food security a reality for everyone.” How is the NJ OFSA fulfilling this mission and what does this work mean to you personally?
The office serves as a convener and collaborator in the food security space. With this, we think it is essential to be in the community listening to the reality of low food security. This is from both people experiencing it and those working to increase food security and its associated outcomes. Listening and working with people across communities helps us understand how to define and uplift meaningful approaches. True food security is beyond just physical and economic access to healthy foods; it also means having appropriate foods for you and your family's needs. This could include needs such as medical, religious, dietary and cultural preferences. True food security also requires our food system to support these considerations over time. Our food system and the agriculture sector need the resources and support to produce a healthy, sustainable supply of foods now and into the future. I have had the opportunity to work on the ground in my early career at community food pantries, health promotion agencies and a local organic farm. I am excited to work with the office, elevating the importance of increasing food security from a spectrum of organization and program types. Food security is a broad and dynamic issue – we need diverse perspectives and resources to achieve true food security for all.
How does food security intersect with different aspects of identity and how can “beyond food” pantries help communities heal themselves?
Food and our diets are incredibly important to who we are as people. People's choices regarding the foods they eat often speak to their culture, community norms, definition of “healthy” and preferences. Food pantries provide food and basic needs to people often experiencing hardships associated with stigma or bias. “Beyond food” pantries offer resources and services that work to address more than just the lack of tangible foods–they instill dignity and celebrate community. For example, “beyond food” pantries may offer choice models where people can select foods from various healthy offerings. This can support feelings of self-determination and ownership of one’s diet. I have been to some great food pantries here in New Jersey that are very conscious of the foods offered, consider cultural preferences and will prioritize their purchasing towards these needs. One of my favorite pantries to visit plays popular music from the communities they work with–people will dance along as they shop! One of the best things about our state is how diverse our communities are and designing pantry services in this way helps value people and celebrate their food cultures.
Pictured above: Dr. Jennifer Schrum.
NJ OFSA Executive Director Mark Dinglasan stated that NJ OFSA is the first of its kind in the U.S. and has both the support of President Biden and Congress. What does it feel like to be a national leader in food security advocacy? What wins and challenges have you experienced?
Food security work is an important point of focus both in New Jersey and nationally. Much of the attention and interest right now is due to the needs and demands we see in low food security prevalence, diet-related health outcomes and group health disparities. It is also a very exciting time in the space because people are thinking creatively and across sectors to address some challenges that exist. We have had the opportunity to think collaboratively with state departments, charitable food organizations, schools, healthcare, farmers, corporations, philanthropy and more! I feel incredibly privileged to be able to steward conversations in which people can see the value of their roles in a macro context while also elevating community perspective in decision-making.
How do you foresee the NJ OFSA growing and transforming in the next three to five years? What advice would you give other states following in your footsteps?
There is so much work to do in the coming years. I look forward to seeing the office grow and establish itself as a real asset for those working in food security. For research and evaluation, I hope to develop a more holistic and statewide understanding of food security needs and identify strengths and opportunities to address those needs. Common language goes beyond just our definition of food security–it encompasses data and measurement, as well. Identifying agreed upon methodologies and approaches to evaluation, when appropriate, is important for an accurate statewide perspective. An informed understanding helps decision-making and strategic stewarding of resources for positive impact.
Do you have any food rituals, habits or philosophies for your personal life that you would like to share?
Every year, I look forward to pickling and canning with my cousins. Part of the fun is who can think of the most creative name to label the pickles that year. While I am partial to the kosher dill, the sweet and spicy varieties are always a crowd favorite. Pickling is a great way to celebrate seasonality – another thing I love about living in New Jersey!