Help the Hungry in Mercer County Feed Their Families

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SUPPORT ARM IN ARM’S 18^TH ANNUAL VALENTINES FOR FOOD DRIVE

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How can you help? Follow the links for more detailed information below.

• DONATE: Drop off food to the pantry at Nassau (download the shopping list below).
• PARTICIPATE: in the online virtual food drive.
• CONTRIBUTE: Monetary donations can be sent to Nassau or directly to Arm In Arm.
• VOLUNTEER: your time at one of our pantries in Trenton or Princeton. There is a specific immediate need for volunteers at the Princeton pantry on Mondays & Tuesdays.

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Watch a Moment for Mission from Arm in Arm’s Executive Director, David Fox:

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• DONATE: healthy, non-perishable food to our pantry, 12-16 oz. cans, no glass containers, please! Remember to check expiration dates.
  • Corn Flour (Maseca)
  • Canned Vegetables (low-fructose)
  • Rice
  • Canned Proteins (tuna, salmon, chicken, chili)
  • Canned Beans (low-sodium)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Cereal
  • Canned Fruits
  • Seasonings
  • Shelf-Stable Milk (Parmalat)
  • Honey
  • Vegetable/Canola Oil

• PARTICIPATE: in our Valentines for Food virtual food drive. Visit https://amplify.ampyourgood.com/user/campaigns/3983 to purchase food that will be delivered directly to Arm In Arm.
• CONTRIBUTE: On-line or by mail and remember that your gift will be DOUBLEDthanks to the generosity of several Nassau Presbyterian Church members.
  • Arm In Arm: arminarm.org/valentines or by using the Valentines for Food envelopes in Nassau’s pew rackS (make checks payable to “Arm In Arm” and note in the Memo: “Nassau”)
  • Nassau: https://nassauchurch.org/giving/give-now/or mail to 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 (make checks payable to “Nassau Presbyterian” and note in the Memo: “Valentines for Food”)
  • Contact the church office by phone 609-924-0103 or by email if you have any questions.
• VOLUNTEER: at one of our food pantries during the week. Email for more details.
  • to volunteer in Princeton, immediate need for help on Mondays (11am-2pm or 1:30pm-4pm) and Tuesdays (10am-2pm)
  • to volunteer in Trenton

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Did you know that in a single year Arm In Arm provides enough food for its clients to prepare approximately one million meals for themselves and their families? When you support Valentines for Food, you support Arm In Arm’s effective response to food insecurity in our area.

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Our Princeton Food Pantry at Nassau Presbyterian Church

• Arm In Arm’s Princeton Pantry serves approximately 300-400 families on a regular basis. These are local families and seniors, many of whom are served bi-monthly through home deliveries made by volunteers to communities on: Clary Street, Witherspoon Street, Redding Circle, and Spruce Circle.
• Visits to and deliveries from this pantry alone in 2021 were more than double from those in 2020, and increased four times from the pre-pandemic number.
• Families receive fresher, healthier food and Arm In Arm has made a commitment to providing families with fresh produce on a regular basis. Our food budget has tripled since before the onset of the pandemic.
• Nutrition education is provided to community members including by virtual zoom classes in both English and Spanish.

Our Agency

• Arm In Arm operates 3 food pantries in Mercer County:
  • Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton
  • 123 East Hanover Street in Trenton
  • 48 Hudson Street in Trenton
• The pandemic has exacerbated the need and in 2021, over the course of 45,140 visits to Arm In Arm’s three food pantries, and through mobile deliveries and grab ‘n go events in the community, people had access to healthy, high quality food for themselves and their families. This is DOUBLE the pre-pandemic level.
• People are coming more often; it is expensive to live in our area and the food provided helps to ease the burden, freeing up resources to cover rent, medical bills, car repairs, or even shoes for their children.
• Donations of In-Kind Food from Food Drives are critical: Every grocery order includes approximately $15-20 of food that Arm In Arm purchases. This food is supplemented with $30-$40 of food that is donated by the local food bank and by communities like Nassau Presbyterian Church and Princeton Public Schools who conduct food drives and donate much-needed non-perishables. This means that the value of a grocery order for a family is approximately $35-$50 and provides 3 days worth of food.
• Approximately one third of the people who receive food through Arm In Arm are under age 18.
• About one fifth of Arm in Arm’s food clients are aged 60 and above.
• Arm in Arm provides fresh, local produce for its customers, much of it donated by farmers and farmers’ markets, and also from supporters of Yes We CAN! Food Drives; community, school, and church gardens; Whole Foods Market; Farmers Against Hunger; and our own community vegetable garden right in downtown Trenton!
  • Arm in Arm’s volunteer-tended vegetable garden produced nearly 900 pounds of fresh produce this past summer.
• Arm in Arm hosts free health screenings at its downtown Trenton location. Clients can pick up groceries, while receiving COVID 19 vaccinations and blood pressure screenings, learning about and receiving screenings for hypertension, diabetes, glucose levels, and heart health.
• Arm In Arm supports the Robbins Elementary School in Trenton through the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s All Kids Thrive Program, which seeks to improve educational performance by reducing chronic absenteeism. The food and case management support we provide results in improved family stability and thus far, has led to increased attendance.

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