In the eight months since New Jersey’s Cottage Food regulations went into effect, allowing home producers of non-TCS goods to sell their wares, the Department of Health has issued approximately 500 permits, and that number is rising every week. These newly minted Cottage Food Operators, the majority of them home bakers, are taking advantage of the spring and summer “celebration season” to grow their businesses and clientele by producing treats for graduations, communions, bridal showers, and weddings.

Nationally, low-income families face deep inequality, low wages, collapsed jobs and more. These families braced the economic consequences of the global pandemic and now prepare for the impact of inflation. According to the Poor People’s Campaign, “Rising inequality is associated with slower overall economic growth and more persistent poverty.”

As part of a social equity conversation presented by the Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI), New Jersey activists, cannabis lawyers and cannabis dispensary owners discussed the need for the state to invest in financial resources, technical assistance and employment and mentorship programs for people of color who want a stake in the cannabis business.

An overwhelming majority of low-and-moderate income families in New Jersey are losing out on critical tax benefits, unaware that they could benefit from filing or overwhelmed by the tax system, especially when finding affordable and reliable tax preparers appears nearly impossible.

During the financial crisis of 2008, Dauna Thompson was living paycheck to paycheck as a single mother in Montclair, taking on temp jobs to make ends meet. So, paying someone to do her taxes wasn't an option. "I had to find something free. I needed every penny," Thompson said

Last October, New Jersey home bakers rejoiced when the state became the last in the country to enact cottage food regulations. These rules, set forth by the Department of Health, allow bakers and other non-TCS food producers to apply for a permit for the direct sale of their goods, with a gross income up to $50,000. Since then, nearly 500 Cottage Food Operator Permits have been issued to residents throughout the state. Others haven’t been so lucky. The reason why lies at their own town halls.

On January 10, 2022, legislation was passed by both the state Assembly and Senate to codify Cottage Food production regulations set forth by an administrative rule change that went into effect in October 2021. This was a culmination of efforts by food freedom proponents throughout New Jersey—work that took more than a decade— to see the state end its holdout as the last with a ban on the sale of homemade foods.

Like many other young people during the 2020 pandemic, 14-year-old Ariyan Wint found herself stuck at home with nothing to do. She enrolled in the New Jersey After School All-Stars program (ASAS), and it proved to be one of the most intriguing times of her young life. The program inspired her to start her own business: 'Lipology by Ari,' a beauty, cosmetics, and personal care brand.