Despite the troubling impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on numerous families throughout Trenton, The Mercer County Community College has been doing its part to serve and meet the needs of the community. On June 24 and 25, the college showed its acts of kindness and goodwill by hosting a Community Service Drive at its James Kerney Campus, where over 400 people received free food, clothing, books, and educational service information.
When the calls for donations and assistance were extended to the entire college family in April, college employees willfully responded by providing generous donations.
Over 40 college employees and their families have coordinated with Bursar manager Lucia Joseph Brown to volunteer and distribute over 180 bags of groceries containing non-perishable breakfast, lunch, and dinner items as well as free clothing and shoes. Remaining items will be shipped out to families in Africa who are deserving.
“Serving our communities is our first priority. This pandemic makes our mission to serve even more important and urgent,” says MCCC President, Dr. Jianping Wang.
Along with giving out donations and items, MCCC staff helped nine families to complete the 2020 census, while another 10 individuals filled out college applications and another applied for the federal CARES Act Relief Fund.
With the pandemic hitting areas such as Trenton hard, MCCC is aware of the impact which has led them to be at the forefront in delivering and providing assistance through student food vouchers as well as free computer programs.
To make this service come to life, MCCC has joined with The Children’s Future, a non-profit organization founded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as the Trenton Public Library to supply books and important workshop information.
The community service project has reached its goal of bringing the entire Trenton and college community together and has since aided MCCC in pushing the belief that together Trenton is strong, and the belief of empowerment through education especially during these troubling times.