Since 1982, TASK has consistently provided nutritious meals to people experiencing hunger and hardship.

But not everyone who needs TASK’s services can easily reach our Escher Street dining room. Transportation barriers, disabilities, work schedules and more can prevent people from accessing traditional hunger-relief programs. TASK’s Community Meal Site Program offers an innovative solution: bringing meals directly to the people who need them most.

The program was initially launched at a single site in South Trenton in 2003, which TASK staffed and ran. Over the next several years, TASK added a handful of sites across Greater Mercer County that were managed by volunteers. Each site developed its own personality and routine, with some providing pantry services, giveaways of basic necessities and even white-glove dinner service accompanied by live music.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Dining rooms were forced to close. Vulnerable populations, like seniors, were encouraged to stay home. And, most importantly, food insecurity accelerated across the area at an alarming rate.

As a result, requests to establish community meal sites poured in, and TASK set to work to grow production and meet the increasing need.
Today, two-thirds of the 13,000+ meals TASK prepares each week are served at one of more than 50 community meal sites across Greater Mercer County and even Bucks County, PA.

“This approach is innovative because it makes use of existing community resources rather than asking people to navigate another unfamiliar system,” says TASK CEO Amy Flynn. “People can receive a meal in a place they already know, close to home and among familiar faces.”

Continues Flynn, “Our partners already know their neighborhoods and the people who live there. Not only does that help us reach the deepest pockets of our community struggling with food insecurity, it also helps to reduce stigma and encourage participation. By reaching more people, we can more easily move the needle on food security.”

The program also recognizes that hunger does not look the same for everyone. A parent working multiple jobs, an older adult living on a fixed income and a person without stable housing may face very different barriers, but each deserves consistent access to healthy food. By offering more meals at more places, TASK reduces those barriers and helps ensure that support is available to people who might otherwise be missed.

“At its heart, the Community Meal Site Program reflects TASK’s belief that responding to hunger requires both compassion and collaboration,” says Flynn.  “TASK is not simply delivering food. We are investing in neighborhood partnerships and building a stronger, more coordinated safety net.”

The program’s impact can be measured in meals served, but its meaning extends much further. Every meal represents one less person having to choose between food and another basic necessity. Every partnership strengthens the community’s capacity to care for its neighbors.

By meeting people where they are, TASK is creating a more accessible, dignified and community-centered response to hunger.