At the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, which serves Mercer County, three trucks were vandalized and their catalytic converters stolen over Memorial Day weekend. Critical to the fight against food insecurity, the trucks are used daily, picking up over 50,000 pounds of dry goods, produce, meat, bakery and dairy products each month and delivering them to over 100 of his partners in Trenton and Mercer counties. increase.
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning, and after other New Jersey food bank leaders learned what had happened, they immediately offered their help. A New Jersey community food bank loaned Mercer Street Friends Box his truck, and a South Jersey food bank provided a large van. On the same day, this kind of emergency response was the first topic at his previously scheduled New Jersey Food Bank CEO meeting.
Bernie Flynn, CEO of Mercer Street Friends, said: “We are very grateful to the New Jersey Community Food Bank and the South Jersey Food Bank for their prompt response to our plight. We appreciate the strong working relationship we have with the Bank, making food bank coverage possible, and know that throughout New Jersey, Mercer County will be able to help if needed.”
“Our South Jersey food bank knows where Mercer Street Friends stands after going through a similar situation a few months ago. We are pleased to support our partner foodbanks in their time of need to continue in the future,” said Fred Wasiak, President and CEO of The Foodbanks of South Jersey.
Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO of Community FoodBank of New Jersey, said: Food of New Jersey He Bank knew it needed to support Mercer Street Friends in some way as they are partners in fighting food insecurity across the state. Renting out trucks allows Mercer Street Friends Food Bank to maintain its ability to serve its community. ”
Local community members also stepped up to help.
Two distributors of the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, the Trenton Deliverance Center and the New Hope Church of God, volunteered to help pick up and deliver the food bank.
TruckSmart of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, saw the plight facing the Mercer Street Friends and prioritized repairing the trucks they brought in. Chad Johnson, warehouse manager at Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, reports: repair shop today. The third truck should be repaired this week. We are up to this challenge with our partnerships of New Jersey Community Food Banks and South Jersey Food Banks to maintain regularly scheduled deliveries. ”