Mercer Street Friends Food Bank

At Mercer Street Friends Food Bank in Ewing, New Jersey, Partner Distribution Organization with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and Feeding America?, leads the community response to hunger in Mercer County as the primary source of government and privately donated food targeted for hunger relief programs in the county. The Food Bank obtains its inventory of food and groceries from a wide range of sources, including the United States Department of Agriculture; food producers and businesses, community food drives and individual donations. Yet the importance of marketing is undeniable; it helps cultivate donors and volunteers while spreading the word about the good work the organization is doing. And that’s a vital consideration for an organization that distributed 2.9 million pounds of food last year—125,000 pounds per week—to a network of 80 local food pantries, shelters soup kitchens, schools, senior centers and summer feeding sites for those in need. So when Mercer Street Friends Food Bank was selected to receive a 4imprint® one by one® grant, the impact was important; it was able to purchase a custom tablecloth and stylish branded polo shirts that are reflective of the seriousness of its mission. The difference the food bank makes is astounding. One child enrolled in the Send Hunger Packing program, which provides food over the weekends in book bags to at-risk children, thanked the food bank workers for the milk they received, saying they hadn’t seen milk in a year. Teachers note that children who are no longer hungry come to school alert and ready to learn. From elderly shut-ins to people with disabilities, homeless individuals and beyond, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank helps alleviate hunger for more than 30,000 people per year. “It’s a work of love,” says Brian Peterson, Community Resource Liaison for Mercer Street Friends Food Bank. “And hopefully one day they’ll tell us, ‘You are no longer needed, because there’s no more hunger.’”