Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) food truck coordinator Max Gatto and colleague Anna Reyes (background left) with volunteers at the food distribution site on Chambers Street. (LA Parker/The Trentonian)
Signs at McDonald's restaurants once said they served millions, then billions, of hamburgers.
The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen's mobile food distribution truck, which has benefited thousands of local residents since being deployed in March, may never reach such grand claims.
“We've served over 6,000 meals so far,” said TASK Food Truck Coordinator Max Gatto, who is proud of how well the street operation is going.
“On Mondays, we go to Calvary Pentecostal Church on Parkway Road. The church is connected to the kindergarten and primary school, so it's great because we can feed a lot of families.”
Gatto said all meals are nutritious because TASK's professional staff oversees the cooking. Most meals contain chicken or pork, vegetables and mashed potatoes or rice. Vegetarian options include manicotti or stuffed shells. Meals that aren't distributed typically go to one of the many food pantries associated with TASK's food outreach efforts.
Gatto is assisted by Anna Reyes and two other volunteers from the Mobile TASK unit.
“We have a lot of Spanish-speaking clients, so I act as kind of a translator and help distribute the food,” explained Reyes, who also helps teach Gatto Spanish.
TASK focuses on three main groups in the region most affected by hunger: families with children, seniors, and the chronically homeless. These groups, who live in poverty at disproportionate rates compared to the national average, have seen the largest increases in TASK meal services over the past 18 months.
Additionally, transportation remains a major obstacle to reliable access to food. TASK believes that by providing more meals and more places to eat, they can overcome some of the most challenging barriers to food security and improve living conditions for the city's most vulnerable people.
This innovative project marks TASK's latest step toward its goal of ending hunger in Trenton, a daunting challenge with an estimated 27 percent of residents and 37 percent of children living below the poverty line, more than double the New Jersey average.
According to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture, approximately 17 million households across the country are food insecure, an increase of approximately 3.5 million households from the previous year.
TASK kitchens are currently preparing and serving more than 11,000 meals per week, the most in their 42-year history and nearly double their pre-COVID volume. In addition to the Escher Street dining hall, TASK meals are also distributed at an expanding network of 36 community feeding sites in Mercer and Bucks Counties, Pennsylvania.
While many residents donate to TASK at Thanksgiving or Christmas, there's no better time than now to contribute to this important effort. TASK has significant buying power that can turn a $1 donation into six or seven times the amount, meaning a $5 donation becomes $30 to $35.
TASK Here is a list of mobile food truck locations.
Monday — Calvary Pentecostal Church, 471 Parkway Ave., Trenton, NJ, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday — Bible Way Cathedral of Deliverance, 333 Home Ave., Trenton, NJ 2-3:30 p.m.
1st and 3rd Wednesday — Capital Health Family Health Center, 433 Bellevue Ave., Trenton, NJ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Second and fourth Wednesdays — Capital Health-East Trenton, 601 Hamilton Ave. (Chambers St. side of the building). 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday — Nexus Parking Lot near Trenton Transit Center, 431 Greenwood Ave. Lot, Trenton, NJ 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were heading out for a quick lunch. We were heading to a nearby fast food restaurant when the TASK food truck showed up. That’s right, we stopped in for lunch and then ate at Unity Park on Hamilton Street.
Great food (pork chops, vegetable platter, mashed potatoes) and fun conversation with the TASK food truck crew. Donations accepted.
Thank you to TASK and all the other organizations tackling food insecurity, housing shortages, mental health and many other social challenges. I don't know what Trenton would be like without your daily efforts.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
