06/04/2026
ANYONE WHO DONATES ANY NEEDED FOOD ITEMS FROM Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, Mercer Street Friends etc can also drop off to our studio and we will give you a coupon towards your next tattoo for donating!!! Even if you don’t get tattooed and would still like to donate we are here! Please share and spread the word this is an ongoing crisis we are all in and we are in this together!!!
Across Mercer County, food insecurity is rising at a pace we can no longer afford to overlook. Local food pantries, community meal sites and home-delivery programs are seeing 20–25% more visits than this time last year, along with a growing number of first-time users.
Inflation, rising housing and transportation costs, and reductions in nutrition benefits are forcing more households into the emergency food system. The network of food pantries and meal programs — never designed for this level of sustained demand — is now under extraordinary strain.
Without reliable access to food, everything else — health, education, employment — begins to unravel. Food security is the foundation on which every other form of progress depends.
The situation is about to grow even more urgent. In the coming months, SNAP recertifications, administrative hurdles, and benefit reductions will place additional pressure on a system already stretched too thin.
This is not a temporary spike. It is a sustained and deepening challenge.
In response, the Mercer County Food Security Leaders Group — a coalition including Arm In Arm, HomeFront, JFCS - Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Mercer County, Mercer Street Friends, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), the The Rescue Mission of Trenton, and supported by Trenton Health Team, Inc. — has worked to strengthen the county’s food system. But as we move through 2026 and into 2027, increased demand is not a possibility. It is an expectation.
We are committed to continuing this work — ensuring access to nutritious food in every corner of the county, strengthening coordination across providers, and building a more resilient system for the future. But success will depend on collective action.
Support your local food providers. Volunteer your time. Advocate for continued investment. Partner with organizations doing this work every day.
The need is here. The pressure is growing. And the time to act is now.
Together, we can ensure that every Mercer County resident has the food they need — not just to get by, but to truly thrive.
With gratitude,
The Mercer County Food Security Leaders Group
**Read the full statement here: https://conta.cc/4vkPntP
