Our credit union was chartered on June 20, 1940, to serve employees of the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, as IUMSWA Federal Credit Union. We renamed ourselves as the Shipbuilders Federal Credit Union in 1955. After our original shipbuilder sponsor company closed in 1967, our credit union remained resilient and expanded its field of membership and charter to include multiple organizations across Southern New Jersey. Through the 1970s, the credit union continued to evolve, changing its name to South Jersey Maritime Federal Credit Union in 1973 and then South Jersey Federal Credit Union in 1979, to further reflect a more open membership. 

Decades of mergers and charter expansions culminated in our 2021 rebrand as First Harvest Credit Union to pay homage to New Jersey’s agricultural legacy and the credit union’s diverse and expansive membership base. Today, we are the largest Low Income-Designated credit union in New Jersey, and we are proud to serve 49,000+ members and 700+ employee groups across the state, with six branches and an additional five ATM-only locations across Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, and Gloucester counties.