On Friday, September 13, from 11:00am – 1:00pm, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) will host a free and festive BBQ meal, offering the public an opportunity to enjoy food, fun and community to commemorate Hunger Action Month.
TASK invites the public to stop by 72 ½ Escher Street to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the TASK kitchen at this outdoor event that will also feature live music from TASK’s house band, The FunkTASKtiks, under a tent at neighboring Capital City Farm.
During the month of September, hunger relief agencies around the country recognize Hunger Action Month, a time to work together to raise awareness about food insecurity, which is surging across the United States. Friday’s event marks an opportunity for TASK, which was founded by community organizers in 1982, to gather together diners, staff, volunteers, donors and community partners to bring attention to an important issue facing the Trenton area.
Today, TASK is serving roughly 11,000 free meals each week at its Escher Street dining room as well as 40 community meal sites across Greater Mercer County. In addition to meal service, TASK also offers case management, adult education, job search, creative arts programs and the provision of basic necessities.
In 2024, TASK has marked two important milestones. Earlier this week, the TASK food truck served its 15,000th meal since its launch in March. With an emphasis on serving people with limited mobility – families with young children, seniors and the chronically homeless – the truck makes its way to a variety of stops each week to serve our neighbors in need. Earlier this summer, TASK also announced that it has served 7,000,000 meals since its founding in 1982.
Says TASK CEO Joyce Campbell, “No one could have imagined how COVID-19 would accelerate an unprecedented rise in demand for the programs and services we offer. A lack of affordable housing, stagnant wages and rising costs are all contributing to an increased need for hunger relief at an alarming rate, even for working families.”
An explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms what TASK has been experiencing firsthand. More than 13.5% of households across the U.S. are reporting food insecurity, the highest level in nearly a decade. In Mercer County, nearly 11,000 children face hunger daily – almost 50% more than the previous year. The problem is even worse in Trenton where 27% of people – and 37% of children – are living below the poverty line.
“Like any milestone we achieve, it’s bittersweet,” Campbell continues. “But we are proud to be able to remove barriers to healthy, delicious food and improve access to people across the city. With these numbers, we know that we are making progress toward our goal of a hunger-free tomorrow.”
To that end, TASK has recently announced its goal to increase meal service by 30% before year-end.
“We couldn’t do any of this without the support of our community,” Campbell adds. “This event is for them – we want everyone to know that their impact is felt and appreciated.”
This Friday, TASK is also looking forward to recognizing a handful of people who have been valuable partners in the fight against hunger. After the community meal, at 1:00pm, guests are invited to move indoors for a brief ceremony that will feature speakers including Mark Dinglasan, Director of New Jersey’s Office of the Food Security Advocate, and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, a powerful advocate against hunger. In addition, TASK will honor 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.
This event is being brought to the community with the help of 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.
TASK, which has been serving meals in the Mercer County region since 1982, offers a multitude of resources to encourage self-sufficiency and improve quality of life, including meals, social services, adult education, job search assistance, creative arts enrichment and the provision of basic necessities.
