Holidays Approach, But the Pantry Shelves Need Stocking

In between the cans of sweet corn and collard greens there is a lot of empty space on the shelves at Crisis Ministry Food Pantry in Princeton.

Someone will no doubt take home the lone tin of SPAM with real bacon, matzo ball mix and pink grapefruit juice.

But there’s still a lot that’s needed here at the food pantry, located in the basement of Nassau Presbyterian Church on Nassau Street, just steps from the pricey shops in Princeton’s Palmer Square.

About 300 people rely on their food staples from Crisis Ministry’s Princeton Food Pantry each month, said Office Director Judith Avila.

“Most people don’t come in because they want to, they come because they have to,” Avila said. “It’s a humbling experience; if they could afford it, they would not come here.”

Food comes through donations left in a wooden barrel located outside the church’s back door, along with cash donations and other donation from local farms and businesses.

Food pantry clients include seniors, immigrants, affordable housing residents and single mothers. 

Patch is teaming with Crisis Ministry for a food drive outside McCaffrey’s in Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will "Stuff the Truck" with food that will go directly to stock Crisis Ministry’s food pantries in Princeton and Trenton.

This year Avila will receive 50 turkeys from the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank and she said she hopes to put together Thanksgiving baskets for clients if she receives enough donations of stuffing, mashed potato mix, cranberry sauce and chicken broth.

“You don’t know how many calls I receive a day asking ‘Are you going a Thanksgiving basket or doing anything for Christmas presents for children,’” she said.

Crisis Ministry of Princeton and Trenton serves residents across Mercer County. In order to shop at either the Princeton or Trenton food pantry, people must earn no more than 185 percent of the poverty rate: $20,035 for a single person or $40,793 for a family of four.

To meet with a food pantry representative about qualifying for aid, residents may contact the Princeton office at 609-921-2135.