Annette Tarver was once a student at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) on 72 Escher street, which serves up education along with daily meals. She received her GED high school equivalency degree then and decided to give back to the community by tutoring those who were in a similar position as her.
“I thought I couldn’t do it, but Mrs. Kelly had faith and confidence in me when I had so very little. So I kept coming and kept trying. Mrs. Kelly asked me if I would like to come back and tutor when I passed the [GED] test. She didn’t say ‘if’ I passed it, she said ‘when’ I pass it,” Tarver says.
The Kelly she is referring to is Kelly Hansen, TASK’s Adult Education Coordinator who explains that in addition to formal GED education, TASK offers lots of other tutoring for everything from the driving learner permit test to typing lessons. Tutors have even taught cursive before. Hansen notes that they provide free donated books and even have educational trips that patrons can go on.
Although New Jersey is the fourth wealthiest state in America, it is home to a number of severely poverty stricken cities. According to the US Census Bureau, the median household income in Trenton is only $31,592 while the state median is $76,126. Within Trenton, the poverty rate is 27.8 percent and the city has a current unemployment of 7.2 percent.
The poverty rate in the capital city corresponds to high rates of homelessness and hunger. According to the US Department of Agriculture and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, large portions of Trenton count as “food deserts” meaning an area with inadequate access to fresh fruits and vegetables and other whole foods due to lack of grocery stores.
To combat Trenton’s lack of nutritious food and high levels of homelessness, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen was founded in 1982. It is a non-profit organization that relies on donations of goods and services to operate.
Markoline Forkpa, Development and Community Relations Specialist for TASK says, “A lot of our patrons don’t have stable housing so they don’t have a place where they can shower every day, things that people would normally take for granted.”
TASK prepares more than 350,000 meals a year, which feed local children and patrons with the help of Mercer Street Friends, a human service agency. TASK also maintains a list of ways that the public can help with the fight against hunger and homelessness in Trenton through donation and community service.
The Manager of Development and Community Relations for TASK, J. Steinhauer, says, “Today you might see about 100 to 200 people come through the doors, but the meal isn’t going to change the world for them. We try to give them skills that improve the quality of life and self-sufficiency. Ideally, the organization and programs will help improve the quality of life for those involved.”
Sherane Watson, a Volunteer for TASK said, “The [TASK patrons’] world is much different from ours. To come here to study and achieve and to do. I salute them for getting up every day and trying to come back from difficult experiences. They come in with hard baggage, and to sit through that and try to help them get to a comfortable place where they can stand on their own is rewarding.”
