Valarie Embrey, a supporter of TASK for years now, chose to dedicate time, money and her heart to hunger relief efforts as a way to celebrate her birthday. Instead of a weekend trip or night out with friends, she chose to take the time and money she would usually spend on herself and channel it toward making a positive impact on our community.

As TASK celebrated the one-year anniversary of the TASK Truck in March with a series of posts, Embrey reached out with a question: What would it cost to sponsor a day of service?

“My birthday is on April 30. I usually spend money on a fun vacation at the end of April to celebrate, but this year I felt called to do something different,” says Embrey.

Coming from humble beginnings herself, Embrey began volunteering on behalf of TASK over a decade ago. At the time, she worked through her employer and a variety of affinity groups to lead donation drives and off-site service projects.

“The camaraderie built during those volunteer projects stands out as one of my core career memories,” Embrey recalls. “Looking back, I was never a traditional student — I had to work full-time throughout my college academic journey — but volunteer opportunities helped me connect with others in my professional career and create meaningful impact in the community. It’s something I deeply cherish.”

When Embrey saw TASK’s posts, an idea began to form and she acted quickly. Not only did she commit an amount personally, she doubled it with a match from her employer, Verisk, effectively covering two days of mobile meals!

In addition, Embrey volunteered on the food truck, sharing her birthday celebration (and special birthday cookies) with the TASK community.

“Giving back brings me real joy. I recognize that many people don’t have access to the resources and tools they need to sustain the quality of life they deserve,” Embrey reflects.

Perhaps more importantly, Embrey hopes that her generosity will motivate more people to do the same. All of TASK’s operations from food prep, meal service and the food truck rely on volunteers. Serving more than 12,000 meals weekly at our Escher Street location and delivering food five days a week throughout Trenton via the food truck requires the generosity and dedication of highly valued volunteers.

“I know that nothing in my life would be possible without the generosity of others. I hope that I can inspire others to support the TASK food truck.”

At TASK, we can’t imagine anything more worthy of celebration. We wish you another year filled with joy and giving back!

If you want to learn more about volunteering or donating to TASK, visit our website at www.TrentonSoupKitchen.org and follow us on social media at @TASKSoupKitchen.