On Tuesday, June 10, TCNJ hosted the United Way of Greater Mercer County for their annual Strike Out Hunger event. This is the fifth year that TCNJ has hosted the event.
Strike Out Hunger brings companies, individuals, and advocates together to help fight hunger in Mercer County. The United Way has estimated that over 61,000 local families struggled to make ends meet and put food on their tables, and that number has only risen since the pandemic. Strike Out Hunger provides meals, fresh produce, and non-perishables to the food bank and food pantry beneficiaries, especially during the summer months when food becomes even more scarce for households in the local community.
A team of 10 TCNJ community members worked alongside over 100 other volunteers in TCNJ’s Recreation Center to package and box more than 40,000 servings of chicken soup. These meals will be distributed to families throughout Mercer County thanks to the support of Mercer Street Friends’ COO and food bank director, James “Butter” Allen ’76.
“Strike Out Hunger is a powerful example of what can happen when higher education partners with the community for a shared purpose,” says Kari Osmond, the college’s associate vice president for government and community relations. “TCNJ is proud of its continual, hands-on collaboration with the United Way of Greater Mercer County to address food insecurity. Our commitment to community service and civic engagement runs deep; we see ourselves not just as an institution of learning, but as a vital neighbor invested in the well-being of our region.”
TCNJ volunteers included staff members from the Division of Advancement. Eleven additional companies sponsored the event and sent volunteers to participate, including: Horizon, NJM Insurance Group, Taiho Oncology, M&T Bank, Wegmans, PSE&G, Northfield Bank, William Penn Bank, AmeriHealth Caritas, Aqua, Rotary Club of the Princeton Corridor, and The Bank of Princeton. The event was chaired by Mercer County Commissioner Nina Melker, and attended by Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy.
Learn more about the Strike Out Hunger initiative on the United Way of Greater Mercer County’s website.