New Jersey Organizations Honor Women’s Successes of the Past, Present, and Future
Since 1987, the United States has been celebrating women and their achievements throughout the month of March. On March 19, 1911, the first ever International Women’s History Day was celebrated in Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany. Since then, the observance holiday has gained popularity across the globe, and this year we celebrate the 39th annual Women’s History Month.
Every year, the National Women’s History Alliance selects a theme for the month’s celebration, recognizing women in things such as courage, legacy, and tradition. For 2025, the theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” All over the country, women are being celebrated for their achievements and impacts on their communities. In New Jersey, specifically, two of the most successful organizations are celebrating Women’s History Month in unique ways.
Community FoodBank of New Jersey
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) not only celebrates its 50th year fighting hunger in 2025, but it also celebrates the life of its founder, Kathleen DiChiara, during this year’s Women’s History Month. DiChiara, who passed away in Oct., 2024, founded the company in 1975, and started out using her garage and kitchen as storage. Since then, the company has grown exponentially, and recognition for DiChiara’s care for her community has also grown.
In her lifetime, DiChiara received many awards for her contributions to the anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs in her community. She received recognition from six US politicians, was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013, and was the recipient of the John van Hengel Fellow Award for her role in creating one of the most successful food banks in the country.
“When I was getting out of high school, what was open for careers for women was that you could be a secretary, you could be a nurse, or you could be a teacher. In the food industry, when I was starting out, I can remember attending some meetings where there were maybe only one or two other women. It wasn’t easy being the only woman there,” said DiChiara in 2019 interview. The celebration of DiChiara’s life this year for Women’s History Month will continue to inspire those in her community to honor her legacy through her incredible work.
New Jersey Institute of Technology Police Department
On March 24 and 25, New Jersey Institute of Technology’s (NJIT) Police Department will aim to staff their shifts with solely women to honor their importance in police work, and in celebration of Women’s History Month. In 2022, the department only had two female officers, out of 43 total. Now, in 2025, the department has 12 female officers, out of 42 total.
This increase has been attributed to many factors, but the dedication of the department’s captain, Heather Glogolich, has been credited as one of the main reasons for such a successful cultural shift. “Let's create the change. Let's make an environment where people feel that there's a change that's inevitable,” said Glogolich in an interview with CBS. The department aims to highlight what the future of policing could look like, with there being a more equal proportion of both men and women as officers.
Women only make up 12% of America’s police officers, yet they receive fewer complaints, use less excessive force than men, and draw their firearms less (National Policing Institute). In the NJIT Police Department, Chief Kevin Kesselman strives to achieve having 30% of their officers be women by 2030, following the nationwide “30 x 30” pledge. As of March 2025, roughly 29% of the officers in the department are female. The NJIT Police Department’s goal to have a 48-hour period fully staffed by women in honor of Women’s History Month will show the department’s future goals to strive for a more equal representation of women in policing, and it will demonstrate the success that departments can achieve with more female officers.
Women’s History Month is being celebrated in ways that both honor the lasting legacy of influential women in their communities, and in ways that present what the future could be with a higher proportion of women in typically male-dominated fields. From honoring the life of DiChiara and her immense success with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, to the NJIT Police Department’s efforts to highlight women in the police force, 2025’s Women’s History Month is continuing to be a celebration of women’s successes and achievements across the globe.
Sources: National Women’s History Alliance, National Women’s History Museum, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, CBS News, New Jersey Hall of Dame, National Policing Institute