The Mercer County Library Food Drive and Local Area Food Bank Resources

The Mercer County Library System will be holding a food drive this November and December to benefit a number of local charitable organizations. We welcome your donations of non-perishable food (but no household items, clothing or furniture), which can be dropped off at any of our nine branches, during regular hours of operation. Donation levels for local organizations, such as the Mercer Street Friends, have fallen considerably in recent years, yet the need is greater than ever. According to the Mercer Street Friends, many of the people who used to donate are now on the receiving end of those donations.

The impact of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey makes non-perishable food donations especially important. According to the Mercer Street Friends, especially needed food items for disaster relief include: canned tuna, pasta meals in a can, peanut butter, granola bars, cereal, shelf stable milk, and canned fruits, vegetables, and soup.

In addition to the branches of the Mercer County Library System, there are many other social service organizations accepting donations of money, gift cards, and/or food. For example, this link on the Mercer Street Friends website will give you a list of the food pantries in the area to which you can contribute. This link will provide additional information regarding the operations of the Mercer Street Friends food bank, which will give out an estimated 2.6 million pounds of food this year. This link gives you information on the Homefront food pantry, part of the Homefront organization in Lawrence. You can find information here about RISE, a social service organization located in East Windsor. If you are interested in contribution opportunities in other regions of New Jersey, this pdf document from the NJ211 site provides information on statewide volunteer and donation opportunities for hurricane relief.

- Michael K.