TASK and its partners help thousands of people across Trenton celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday amidst surging food insecurity nationwide.
For more than 40 years, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) has worked hard to ensure that people throughout the community have a Thanksgiving to be thankful for.
TASK Chef Adam Livow and his hard-working kitchen staff are already busy prepping TASK’s traditional Thanksgiving meal of fried turkey wings with stuffing and gravy. The hearty and nourishing meal will be rounded out with delicious sides and treats, including minestrone soup, TASK’s signature salad bar, coffee and tea service, and an assortment of pies. TASK expects to serve more than 500 people on Thanksgiving Day at its Escher Street dining room. TASK will also provide roughly 2,000 Thanksgiving meals to more than 40 community meal sites throughout the week.
Diners aren’t the only ones who make TASK an annual tradition. Thanksgiving at TASK is made possible by countless partners across the region who work for months leading up to the holiday to raise financial contributions and run donation drives to assist in this massive effort. From pie donation drives to 5K fundraisers, the people of greater Mercer County have been planning, shopping, and donating in order to help their neighbors in need. Some, like the families from Pennington’s Toll Gate Grammar School, have been helping make Thanksgiving special at TASK for 39 years!
In addition, approximately 400 households across Trenton will receive “Thanksgiving at Home” baskets starting this week as part of TASK’s annual holiday program, which is funded, in part, by a generous donation from the Geltzer Family Foundation.
David and Leslee Geltzer, who have provided funding to the program since its inception in 2006, have helped serve Thanksgiving meals to more than 14,500 people. “We are so pleased to help families in need enjoy a turkey dinner with all the trimmings to celebrate at home,” the Geltzers say.
TASK staff and volunteers will once again partner with local Amazon employees to hand-deliver packages containing the turkey and all of the trimmings necessary to create a bountiful Thanksgiving meal. Each “basket” includes a frozen turkey, gravy mix, stuffing, cornbread, veggies, macaroni and cheese, apple juice, pie, and even a roasting pan — everything recipients need to enjoy a holiday meal in the comfort of their own home! Amazon has also generously donated $10,000 to support TASK’s Thanksgiving activities this year.
“Amazon is committed to supporting communities year-round, but during the holidays, it can be especially rewarding for employees to have opportunities to give back. We appreciate the massive effort from TASK to put this together,” said Stephen Sauer, General Manager at Amazon’s Robbinsville Fulfillment Center.
As hunger surges to unprecedented levels nationwide, many families are struggling. The U.S. Agriculture Department’s most recent report indicates that more than 47 million people across the country are living in households that are food insecure, an increase of nearly 3.2 million people in just one year. The problem is even more acute in places like Trenton, where 27% of the population (and 37% of resident children) are living below the poverty line.
“Thanksgiving is an opportunity for people to connect with one another over a meal, something that TASK achieves every day in our dining room,” says TASK CEO Joyce Campbell. “It brings us so much joy to know that this Thanksgiving, with the support of our generous community, TASK can once again provide everyone we serve with the opportunity to enjoy the true spirit of the holiday. Together, we can be the difference between hunger and hope.”
TASK, which has been serving the Mercer County region since 1982, serves more than 11,000 meals, six days per week, in Trenton and more than 40 community meal sites throughout Greater Mercer County. In addition, TASK offers a multitude of resources to encourage self-sufficiency and improve quality of life, including case management, education, workforce development, creative arts, and the provision of basic necessities.
