On Tuesday, June 7, TCNJ hosted the United Way of Greater Mercer County for their annual Strike Out Hunger event.
According to the United Way, 375,000 New Jersey children are food insecure. As the end of the school year approaches, kids who rely on school meals often struggle to get enough to eat during the summer months. To draw attention to the problem, the United Way works to provide 200,000 meals for New Jersey food banks.
A team of 15 TCNJ community members worked alongside over 100 other volunteers in TCNJ’s Recreation Center to package and box more than 35,000 meals that will be circulated through Mercer Street Friends Food Bank to local pantries and food distribution sites near Mercer County.
TCNJ first hosted Strike Out Hunger in 2019 with the intention of it being annual, but due to the pandemic, the United Way ended up hosting alternative events in 2020 and 2021.
“We are excited to welcome back the United Way of Greater Mercer County and its partners to TCNJ for Strike Out Hunger 2022,” said Raj Manimaran, director of community relations for TCNJ. “As a part of the college’s commitment to sustain and enhance our communities, we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with such a committed team of staff and volunteers to bring this critically important event together. Due to the pandemic, there is an even greater need to address food insecurity in our region and we are committed to supporting high-impact, community-driven initiatives such as Strike Out Hunger.”
TCNJ volunteers included staff members from the Division of Advancement, Campus Police Services, and the Bonner Scholars Program. Thirteen additional companies sponsored the event and sent volunteers to participate, including: NRG, Horizon, Investors Bank, M&T Bank, NJ Manufacturers, Robert Half, Taiho, Aqua, PNC Bank, PSEG, Princeton Rotary, Northfield Bank, and the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber.
Learn more about the Strike Out Hunger initiative on the United Way of Greater Mercer County’s website: www.uwgmc.org/soh.