‘No Is Not an Option’: Lessons from the Pandemic Inform TASK’s Plans in 40th Year
On January 13, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) will mark its 40th anniversary. From serving butter sandwiches in a church basement to serving more than 8,000 freshly prepared meals each week, TASK has certainly evolved and grown to meet the ever-changing needs of the community.
Always “food first,” TASK has also expanded its suite of wraparound services — including case management, peer recovery, adult education, job search, and creative arts classes — to help patrons improve their quality of life on the path to self-sufficiency.
Now, with this major milestone in its view, TASK has had an opportunity to reflect on where it’s been and where it’s going.
Back in March 2020, when COVID-19 forced TASK to shut down in-person meal service at its Escher Street dining room, it was hard to believe anything positive could come out of the pandemic.
Immediately, it was clear that TASK had to reinvent its meal service program: the soup kitchen quickly transitioned from an in-house, sit-down meal service to a take-out operation. Since the beginning of the pandemic, TASK’s heroic kitchen crew has prepared and served more than three-quarters of a million meals at its dining room and more than 30 sites throughout the area — stretching from Princeton, NJ, into Morrisville, PA. In its 40th year, TASK will serve its 6 millionth meal since its founding.
Joyce Campbell, executive director, said the lessons learned during the pandemic are informing TASK’s plans to address a historic hunger crisis that is expected to last well beyond COVID-19’s immediate impact. Right now, 1.2 million New Jersey residents, including 400,000 children, don’t know where their next meal is coming from. With inflation, supply chain issues, and a sluggish economy, these numbers are expected to rise.
Exactly how TASK responds to the crisis continues to evolve, as the battle against COVID waxes and wanes. In early 2022, TASK is planning a kitchen renovation that will support its dramatically increased meal service program as well as provide additional space for its culinary training program. For now, TASK will continue to be laser focused on boosting productivity, inspired by what the organization has accomplished over the last few years and the overwhelming support of the community.
Said Paul Jensen, associate executive director of operations, “What we thought our ceiling was, wasn’t. What we thought our capacity was, wasn’t. With people in the right place, working in the right manner, we can do more. ‘No’ is not an option.”
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 72 Escher Street, Trenton. 609-695-5456. www.trentonsoupkitchen.org.
