Hunger can affect anyone, but children and older adults are especially vulnerable to its consequences.

In New Jersey, approximately one in six children faces hunger, while across the country 14.1 million children live in food-insecure households according to Feeding America’s recent “Map the Meal Gap” report.

Older adults face a different, but equally serious, set of challenges. Feeding America estimates that 7.4 million seniors age 60 and older — and another 5.2 million adults ages 50 to 59 — experience food insecurity nationwide.

Seniors who live with grandchildren are especially vulnerable: their food insecurity rate is more than twice the rate of seniors who do not live with a dependent.

At TASK, these numbers reinforce the importance of ensuring that neighbors of every age have access to nutritious food, compassionate support and opportunities to thrive.

For children, healthy food is essential to physical growth, learning and development. When families struggle to afford groceries, children can experience long-term health and developmental challenges.

For seniors, many are living on fixed incomes that have not kept pace with rising costs. Mobility limitations, chronic health conditions and transportation barriers can make obtaining and preparing nutritious food even more difficult.

In all cases, food insecurity creates significant stress throughout the household, forcing people to make impossible choices about other necessities like housing and medical care.

TASK helps ease that burden by providing free, nutritious meals throughout the greater Trenton area through our network of community meal sites.

Any meals that aren’t taken by students are shared with older adults who are part of Ivins’ senior programs.

Last year, TASK provided more than 7,100 meals to Ivins program participants. And the impact extended far beyond the plate.

“Our partnership with TASK is about so much more than food — it is about nourishing our community,” says Ivins Executive Director Darletta Berry-Johnson. “A hot meal helps students stay focused, engaged and ready to learn, while remaining meals provide comfort and support to older adults in our HomeShare and Staying Put programs.”

“Together, we ensure that children and seniors receive an important message — that their community cares about their well-being.”

By providing nutritious meals alongside compassionate partners like Ivins Outreach Center, TASK helps children grow, seniors maintain their health and independence, and households of all kinds find greater stability. Together, we can provide security to our most vulnerable community members, so that people at every age have the food, dignity and support they need to thrive.