A food pantry in Trenton, one of the Salvation Army’s longtime key programs in the community, is helping hundreds of residents who are struggling to make ends meet.
Additional federal SNAP benefits, which went into effect at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, expired earlier this year. Since then there has been an increase of about 30% in the number of residents seeking assistance from the pantry. And now that people could lose their benefits due to the expanded work requirement included in the debt-ceiling agreement reached in Washington, D.C. last week, the Salvation Army fears the need will soon be even more.
“This pantry is not just a plate of food. This pantry is knowing that we’re here to provide this help. It gives them security and get some comfort, knowing that they have a place where they’re going to be welcomed or they not going to be judged,” said Ling Porchetti, corps officer of the Salvation Army’s Trenton Citadel Corps. “We welcome everyone from Mercer County, not just Trenton.”
Support for “Hunger in NJ” has been provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
