On Friday, September 13th, dozens of individuals descended upon the Capital City Farm for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen’s Annual Community Meal. This celebration of community invites individuals from all walks of life to enjoy the late summer sun, share in a meal together, and spend an afternoon soaking up time with friends new and old. Guests were treated to a delightful spread of summertime fare including burgers, BBQ staples, and of course, a scoop of ice cream to help beat the heat. The day’s serene backdrop was courtesy of the Capital City Farm, whose property is directly adjacent to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen’s headquarters. With blooming flowers, a brisk breeze, and signs of the season all around, TASK’s community meal offered the perfect sendoff to another successful summer.
The afternoon’s events were serenaded by The FunkTASKtiks, TASK’s in-house band who was grooving all afternoon long. After the meal concluded, guests were invited inside for a ceremony honoring journalist L.A. Parker, optometrist Dr. Thomas Marino and the late Larry Apperson, a longtime TASK volunteer and founder of Princeton’s Cornerstone Community Kitchen, for their contributions. During the ceremony, guests had the opportunity to hear from a distinguished panel of speakers, including including Mark Dinglasan, Director of New Jersey’s Office of the Food Security Advocate, and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, a powerful advocate against hunger. Support for this initiative was provided by NJM Insurance Group; Capital Health; Reilly Financial Group; the Br’Island Group; CBIZ Borden Perlman; Princeton Partners; Pennington Quality Market; Hatfield Schwartz Law Group LLC; De Stefano Foods, Inc.; Lear & Pannepacker, LLP; SORA 100; and Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas – Hamilton.
The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), originally founded in 1982, has been serving up hope in the Trenton community for over 40 years. What started as a church basement meal service quickly evolved into the comprehensive community powerhouse it now is today. Today, TASK is serving 10,000 meals per week at nearly 40 locations, offering a massive helping hand to our community’s most vulnerable residents. Beyond their meal service, TASK also offers clients an exhaustive list of resources and educational opportunities, including adult education, case management, career training, and much more. With the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency and improved quality of life in mind, TASK continues to transform lives in Trenton and beyond each and every day.
For more information regarding the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen’s countless services and resources, please take a moment to visit their website, linked here: TASK. Guests can also keep up with TASK on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. If you have any questions or would like to learn more how you can play a part in supporting TASK’s important work, please contact (609) 695-5456 x 102 for further information. May this year’s TASK Community Meal be a reminder to us all sometimes it is the simplest of things which can truly bring a community together.
