Despite facing space constraints, Plainsboro officials are looking into ways to establish a reliable flow of food through donations to the township’s food pantry, which is currently housed in the municipal building, outside the social services office.
Township Administrator Robert Sheehan gave the Township Committee an update on the progress made on the initiative during the committee’s January 14 meeting. “You had challenged us to come up with some ideas on how to take a stronger, more proactive role in this regard,” Sheehan said. “It is complicated somewhat by the logistics of our space.”
“The Township Committee wants to look at the service and try to understand how we can do even more to support the food pantry, or if appropriate, other organizations that provide that service,” Sheehan explained after the meeting. “This is born out of a concern by the Township Committee that during difficult times, these types of services become more important,” and the township just wants to increase its efforts.
Sheehan proposed the township reach out to organizations or groups with whom the township has already established relationships. “We need to do it in a careful way so that we don’t overflow ourselves,” Sheehan said. “If there is a backup, we could arrange for providing some assistance to the Mercer Street Friends.”
A Quaker-affiliated, nonsectarian human care organization, the Mercer Street Friends serves more than 20,”000 people a year from seven locations and 15 program sites, including the historic original location, a former Friends meeting house in the Mill Hill section of Trenton. The group’s programs serve infants, children, youth, parents and adults, and the disabled and elderly.
But “I think we want to establish this in a way in which our local residents can have more of an ongoing benefit,” Sheehan said.
Mayor Peter Cantu said that the township has an emergency food bank. Sheehan said it is essentially open at all times. “We replenish it as it comes down,” he says.
Sheehan suggested looking to relationships established between the township and various social agencies and larger groups with whom they have worked before. Cantu also mentioned that the library periodically holds food collections, and Committeeman Ed Yates said that athletic groups or organizations like the Boy Scouts may be looking to help out as they try to earn their merit badges. Cantu asked Sheehan to bring more information to the committee’s next work session on January 28.
