Mercer County College Starts Food, Clothing Drive Amid Pandemic

Anthony Bellano
·2 min read

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is hosting food and clothing drives at its James Kerney Campuses (JKC) in Trenton next month to support families in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are seeing a marked increase in food insecurity, and we know the economic consequences of this pandemic has hit our underserved population particularly hard,” Mercer County Community College President Dr. Jianping Wang said. “We see this as the perfect time to give back to the community, and support those who have supported us for so many years.”

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Mercer County Community College Bursar Lucia Brown-Joseph is organizing the drop-off, collection, and distribution for the drives. She has formed a committee of personnel from the college’s JKC and West Windsor campuses, as well as MCCC facilities staff, to organize the event.

“The college serves a diverse population that was affected by COVID-19 in a variety of ways,” Brown-Joseph said. “This is an opportunity to unite the community, while giving back to a population in need.”

Collection of new and slightly used clean clothing is scheduled for May 29, June 5 and June 12 at the James Kerney Campus, 102 North Broad in Trenton. The donation bins will be located at the rear of the building off of Academy Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Donations at the West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road, will be collected on June 1, 3, 8 and 10 in the lot off of the Hughes Drive entrance from 9 a.m. 3 p.m. For both drop-offs, Brown-Joseph encourages donors to pre-sort their clothing in bags by size, which will expedite the process of issuing the donations.

Both locations will also accept donations of canned and boxed non-perishable foods. Donors are encouraged to comply with social distancing standards and to wear face coverings when donating.

Donations from both drives will be distributed at JKC on June 24 starting at 10 a.m. in the student and faculty parking lots. The rain/overflow date is set for June 25. Local authorities will provide security for the distribution. For more information, visit www.mccc.edu/GivingBack.

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

This article originally appeared on the Lawrenceville Patch