Arm In Arm, a local non-profit that helps people in the region with housing, food, and job assistance has two locations, one in Trenton and the other in Princeton. The organization is now expanding its food pantry and going mobile. One of its new mobile locations is an empty lot at the MCCC’s James Kerney Campus in Trenton.
After making the decision to expand to a mobile food pantry, Arm In Arm was looking for another place to distribute food on Tuesdays. They reached out to Dr. Tonia Perry-Conley, Executive Dean of Mercer’s James Kerney Campus to find out if there was any space at the Trenton campus for them to do a food pantry.
Dr. Tonia Perry-Conley, says “They contacted me at the Trenton campus, and we went about working diligently with Security and Facilities under the leadership of Laura Schepps [VP of Finance and Administration] to put together the [Memorandum of Understanding] and making sure that all the legal ramifications were in place, along with getting scheduled dates.” The college is able to offer the space for free to support the community effort.
Dr. Perry-Conley went on to say that Mercer is also able to reach out to make people aware of opportunities to participate in the credit and non-credit programs offered at the college.
Shariq Marshall, the Volunteer Operations, Communications, and Development Coordinator for Arm In Arm says, “We’re looking to bridge that gap, and also build partnerships.”
According to Marshall, the organization is able to connect to many groups including “Folks from the Latin community, and also the African American community. There’s also sprinkles of the Guatemalan community.”
Those seeking food from Arm in Arm provide key information including name, address, and how many people live with them. The purpose of this is so that the state knows who is getting assistance and how much they need. Patrons get bags with frozen meats, fresh produce, and non-perishable grocery items.
The first day of operation at this location was on October 18, and they were prepared for 100 people. By 11 AM they had served approximately 90.
Arm In Arm gets volunteers from across New Jersey. One group comes from Rider University.
Students from the Rider Bonner Community Scholars organization are volunteering with the intake of patrons to the food pantry.
According to their Rider University website, “Rider Bonner Community Scholars serve in small teams with several primary community partners to address issues of hunger, homelessness, adult literacy and at-risk youth in the Trenton area. Students accepted into the program are assigned to one primary site for the academic year based on their preferences, class schedule, and each agency’s needs.”
Rider student Francesca Madalena volunteers with Arm In Arm Monday through Thursday. She says she decided to work with Arm In Arm partly because she grew up doing volunteer service, and that the groups served are one she connects with.
Arm In Arm Director of Operations Margaret Cowell says, “We want to welcome Mercer County Community College students to volunteer with us to possibly intern with us or to possibly do work-study programs at the Arm in Arm food pantry.”
Anyone interested in volunteering for Arm in Arm can find information on their website. Click here.
CORRECTION: A print version of this article inaccurately stated both in the text and headline that Arm in Arm was losing its space at Hanover Street rather than expanding its program to offer more mobile food pantry locations.
