Our founder and Executive Director
Our Founders, Pastor Joe and Natalie Fortunato, each bring over 35 years of ministry experience to the South Jersey Dream Center. They believe that all people are loved unconditionally by God. That He created everyone with unlimited potential to fulfill the plan and purpose He has for their lives. As Pastor of Faith Fellowship Ministries, located in Mt. Laurel, NJ, Pastor Joe established the Dream Center many years ago as the major outreach of the church, to meet the needs of the local community. Since then, the Dream Center has grown to become a 501c3 non-profit of its own. Pastor Joe serves as the Chairman of the Board of the South Jersey Dream Center, and Natalie as the Executive Director. Meet the rest of our wonderful Team, they are absolutely invaluable!
Our Board
Our Volunteer Team
2010
Rev. Joe and Natalie Fortunato opened the Joseph's Storehouse Food Pantry at their church in Sewell, NJ, Faith Fellowship Ministries, to help local families in need. Having received groceries and meals from friends and neighbors themselves at one point in their lives, they knew what it was like to need a helping hand. Even so, they were still overwhelmed by the immediate response after opening Joseph's Storehouse, and the number of people at their door needing help to put food on their own family's table.
Through partnership with the Food Bank of South Jersey, Philabundance, and the generosity of their church family, the SJDC provided groceries for 75-125 families each month. Also, before each distribution, Pastor Joe shared a voluntary faith-based message, filled with hope and encouragement from the Bible. Though Joseph's Storehouse was helping people with food and encouragement, he knew there was so much more that could be done to help them break the cycle of poverty in people’s lives.
2011
When Pastor Joe heard about the Los Angeles Dream Center, and how they were coming alongside people with help with food, clothing, basic necessities, and in other areas of life, he knew it was the exact model of what he wanted to reproduce on the east coast.
In November, 2011, Pastor Joe, Natalie and their daughter visited the Los Angeles Dream Center, and their vision of meeting the needs of families in Southern New Jersey was forever changed. Plans began immediately to establish and incorporate the South Jersey Dream Center, and become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization on its own.
2012
Though hunger is a serious issue, raising funds and awareness about hunger doesn’t have to be. In November, 2012 The SJDC hosted their First Annual Dodge Hunger Dodgeball Tournament at the RiverWinds Community Center in West Deptford. The tournament was funded by local businesses through sponsorships, including Kohl’s Department Stores, Wells Fargo Bank, Adelphia's, the Riverwinds Restaurant, Fulton Bank, Capital Bank, Woodbury Appliance, and more. The tournament was Round Robin play, and open to Middle School students, High School student, Adults and Pro Dodgeball teams.
2013
The SJDC received approval from the IRS to operate as a 501c3 non-profit organization.
The SJDC outgrew their facility at the church in Sewell, and moved to a VFW Hall in Runnemede, NJ.
2014
In addition to the encouraging message from the Bible, the SJDC began to offer a 45 minute voluntary workshop before each distribution on topics that are relevant to everyday life, and help people take steps forward. Every month, trained and certified professionals shared simple and applicable information on topics such as shopping on a budget, job readiness, how to go about getting a High School Equivalency Certificate, healthy living, understanding healthcare, overcoming addictions, helping your child succeed in school, renter’s rights, and more.
The SJDC hosted the first Family & Friends Day, where guests received free haircuts, hot dogs, popcorn, lemonade, and enjoyed free door prizes and games for the children. In the years that followed they added free health screenings, balloon creations and face painting. By this time, the SJDC had reached capacity at the VFW Hall and began looking for a larger space.
2015
The SJDC moved to a much larger space at the National Park Fire Hall. There was such a demand in this particular community for food, the SJDC was personally asked by the Food Bank of South Jersey to establish a program in National Park. In the local elementary school, over half of the students are on the lunch assistance program.
However, with an increase in guests comes the demand for more food partners. As a result, Panera Bread, Shoprite, BJ’s, Flower’s Bread Company which distributes Nature’s Own and Wonder Bread, Albert's Organics, and Target were added to the growing list of local businesses who joined them in the fight against hunger.
The SJDC added new and lightly used clothing to the monthly distribution. At first, they received a handful of donated items, which was made available to guests in a separate room at the fire hall. Soon, the SJDC began to receive unclaimed lost and found items from five local schools, unclaimed clothing and linens from local dry cleaners, as well as the “rejects” from a local consignment shop in Deptford.
Thanks to various South Jersey Times newspaper articles featuring the SJDC, the increased exposure caused their volunteer base to grow tremendously. Every week they received inquiries from people of all ages and backgrounds seeking to make a difference in their community. Interestingly, many of their volunteers were made up of guests who also received food. They simply wanted to give back in any way they could. Because the SJDC provided over 15,000 pounds of food to 125-225 families at each distribution, they needed all the help they could get with set up, unloading trucks, registration, and picking up and delivering product.
Another feature that sets the SJDC apart from many other food programs is that they don’t pre-bag their food items for their guests. They set up like a grocery store, which allows guests to shop with dignity, hand selecting the items that meet the needs of their particular family.
The SJDC moved their offices into donated office/storage space in West Deptford, NJ. They started with one office for administrative work, then added another space to store their refrigerators and freezers, then added four more rooms to store clothing and supplies. Eventually, they fully occupied all 15 offices.
2016
The SJDC hosted their first Annual Diaper Drive, and also received a $25,000 grant from Columbia Bank to purchase a much needed cargo van.
The SJDC held their last Monthly Food & Clothing Distribution at the National Park Fire Hall.
They outgrew their space...again. They began the search for a new facility with plenty of parking, classrooms, and enough room to accommodate more people, more food, more clothing, and more resources. Why expand? According to Feeding America, there are over 160,000 people living in poverty in the six counties in southern New Jersey that they aim to serve.
Since 2010, the SJDC has provided groceries for over 10,000 people, from infants to seniors, from all different backgrounds. The face of hunger doesn’t look like it used to. Some families have two working adults and still can’t make ends meet. The SJDC's goal is to have their own permanent facility where they can open throughout the week and exponentially increase the amount of people served with the services they provide.
2017
Though they had discontinued their monthly food distribution at the National Park Fire Hall, the SJDC continued to receive food from SJDC retail partners and needed a way to pass these resources along to their local community. Therefore, they partnered with local agencies serving the community, including the Mid-Atlantic States Career and Education Center, the Mother Child Residential Home, Family Success Center, the Gloucester County Nutritional Program for Seniors, Rowan University student food pantry, and the Woodbury Coop Food Pantry.
The SJDC began its "Good Neighbor" program where they share their resources with other organizations and groups in the local area. They started by delivering brand new pillows donated by Target to the Family Promise of Glassboro, and food to the Victory Bay Addiction Recovery house. The SJDC also joined the Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce.
2018
The SJDC partnered with Habitat for Humanity and attended their first Habitation for two homes side-by-side in Deptford, NJ. The SJDC has continued this partnership by attending habitations throughout the community with their signature “grocery cart full of groceries” for the new homeowners.
The SJDC joined the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce
The SJDC received CORE Training and became a certified site to host a Jobs for Life program, which prepares guests to find and keep a job that focuses on their God-given strengths and abilities.
The SJDC partnered with Touch New Jersey and added additional agencies to the weekly food distribution.
2020
The SJDC is awarded the 2020 Excellence in Community Impact Award from Acenda Integrated Health, and nominated as Non-Profit of the Year from the Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce.
In response to COVID-19 the SJDC hosted the first of three Food Distribution outreaches at the National Park Elementary School for over 150 students and their families. They also began curbside grocery pickup at their facility for local families by appointment only. During the peak months of COVID-19, they provided over 60,000 pounds of food to over 2,000 people. They doubled their retail partners, and distribution over 700 USDA “Farmers t Families Food Boxes” under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. During that time the Deptford Mall also hosted a Drive Thru Food Drive and Virtual Food Drive on behalf of the SJDC.
Due to COVID-19, the SJDC discontinued the Annual Dodge Hunger Dodgeball Tournament and began a Virtual Fundraiser called “Miss-A-Meal”.
2021
The South Jersey Dream Center was asked to serve as the Gloucester County Disaster Relief Resource Distribution Center as a result of Hurricane Ida and the tornado that ripped through Gloucester County. Over 20,000 pounds of donated resources were brought to the SJDC, and over 40 volunteers helped sort the resources and prepare them for distribution to those affected by the disaster.
2022
The Dream Center hosts the First Annual Pickleball Against Poverty Tournament at Total Turf Experience in Pitman, NJ and raised over $21,000 in funds through the generosity and participation of over 160 players, over 60 sponsors and donors, and 40 volunteers.
The Dream Center is nominated by the Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce in the category of Non-Profit of the Year.
Getting the Word Out
Natalie Fortunato is always ready to share how the South Jersey Dream Center helps those in need with your employees, church or civic group. In addition to sharing about the programs and services offered by the South Jersey Dream Center, she expounds on issues related to poverty and hopelessness. This is an excellent way to gain insight into the needs of your community, and become equipped to make a difference at the same time. To schedule Natalie to speak at your organization, please email nfortunato@southjerseydreamcenter.org.
