Kicking Off Summer at Arm In Arm
How our community is helping local families stay fed, stable, and
supported all summer long
When School Ends, Hunger Doesn't Take a Break
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For many children, summer means sleeping in, playing outside, and enjoying a break from the classroom. But for thousands of families across Mercer County, summer also means the loss of reliable access to school breakfasts and lunches.
More than half of the individuals served through Arm In Arm's Hunger Prevention Program are children. During the school year, school meal programs help families stretch limited household budgets while ensuring children have access to nutritious food. When school lets out, parents must find a way to replace those meals at home—often at a time when rising costs are already making it difficult to make ends meet.
The need is growing. At the start of our last fiscal year, Arm In Arm averaged approximately 3,500 food pantry visits and deliveries each month. Today, that number exceeds 5,000, including roughly 200 new clients each month seeking support. As more families struggle with the rising costs of housing, food, transportation, and childcare, community resources are becoming increasingly important.
This year, Arm In Arm will provide food assistance through more than 60,000 pantry visits, home deliveries, Mobile Pantry distributions, and community partner food drops, helping nearly 20,000 Mercer County neighbors—including more than 10,000 children. Through every distribution, we provide healthy food while connecting families with resources that support greater stability and well-being.
The impact of food insecurity on children extends far beyond an empty stomach. Hunger can affect concentration, memory, physical health, emotional well-being, and academic success. Ensuring children have consistent access to nutritious food is one of the most effective ways we can support their ability to learn, grow, and thrive.
That's why summer support matters. The opportunities to help are simple, and the impact is significant. Whether you make a gift, volunteer your time, or organize a food drive, you can help ensure local children and families have access to nutritious food all summer long.
Together, we can help ensure that no child goes hungry when school is out.
| | Three Ways to Help This Summer | | |
Turn your workplace, congregation, neighborhood, or community group into a
hunger fighting machine!
Arm In Arm is seeking food drives focused on breakfast and snack items for children during the summer months. We'll provide the guidance and support to
help make your drive a success!
Most Needed Items
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- Shelf-stable milk
- Low-sugar cereal
- Instant oatmeal
- Granola bars
- Peanut butter
- Juice boxes
- Rice
- Pasta
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Arm In Arm is looking for summer volunteers to help pack, sort, and distribute food to neighbors facing hunger across Mercer County.
2 and 3 hour shifts available.
We welcome individuals as well as corporate teams, church groups, civic organizations, and other community groups looking to make a meaningful impact together.
Come stand with
Arm In Arm
and your community.
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Give the Gift of a Hunger-Free Summer: Together we can help ensure that no child goes hungry when school is out!
Help us nourish our community, one family at a time.
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$10 — Fills a child’s "lunchbox" for a week
Provides fresh produce and kid-friendly staples that help replace school lunches during summer break.
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$25 — Covers breakfast for 10 children
Ensures children start their summer mornings with nutritious meals like oatmeal, fruit, and milk — meals they often rely on at school.
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$50 — Provides culturally preferred groceries for 4 children
Includes items like Maseca corn masa flour and other staples that help families prepare familiar, comforting meals kids know and love.
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$100 — Keeps the lights and stove on for a family
Helps pay essential utilities so children can safely store food, have hot meals, and maintain stable routines during summer months.
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$250 — Groceries for 10 children for a week
Provides a full week of nutritious groceries to help families bridge the summer meal gap.
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Volunteer Spotlight:
Yes We CAN!
For our inaugural Volunteer Spotlight, we are proud to recognize Yes We CAN!, a dedicated group of volunteers that has been supporting Arm In Arm's Hunger Prevention Program since 2008.
Throughout the year, Yes We CAN! conducts food drives at locations across Mercer County, including McCaffrey's Markets in Princeton and West Windsor, the West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Princeton Farmers Market, and Pennington Quality Market. As shoppers enter the markets, volunteers invite them to donate fresh produce, shelf-stable food, or cash contributions. Monetary donations are used to purchase food directly from local farmers and market vendors, creating a win-win for local agriculture and local families experiencing food insecurity.
The impact has been extraordinary. Since 2008, Yes We CAN! volunteers have helped collect more than 347,000 pounds of fresh produce and nonperishable food—making the organization the largest single food drive donor to Arm In Arm. In 2025 alone, their efforts provided 47,450 pounds of food for our pantry clients.
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Beyond food, Yes We CAN! also organizes collections of books, hand-knit hats and scarves, school supplies, and other essential items that help support families throughout the year.
"Being a Yes We CAN! volunteer has given me back so much more than I have given. It has offered me a tangible sense of community and provided a direct and hands-on way of helping my Mercer County neighbors. It's the most rewarding "job" I've ever had." Susan Greene - Yes We CAN! Co-Chair
We are deeply grateful to the volunteers of Yes We CAN! for their longstanding partnership and commitment to our community. Their efforts demonstrate the power of neighbors helping neighbors and the remarkable impact that dedicated volunteers can have when they come together around a shared purpose.
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For I Was Hungry
How one local photographer used art
to inspire reflection and support neighbors facing hunger.
| This spring, photographer Ned Walthall's exhibit at Nassau Presbyterian Church, For I Was Hungry, invited viewers to reflect not only on beauty and abundance, but also on the reality of hunger that exists within our own community. Proceeds from the exhibit were generously donated to support Arm In Arm's Hunger Prevention Program to help ensure local families have access to nutritious food. | |
The exhibit explored the rich tradition of still life art and photography and how images of everyday objects can reveal deeper truths about the human experience. Accompanied by quotations from scripture and literature, the photographs encouraged viewers to consider themes of abundance, gratitude, generosity, and our shared responsibility to respond when others are in need. Reflecting on the exhibit and its connection to Arm In Arm's mission, Ned shared:
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"Still Life, if it is about anything, is about food; it’s about what we put on our tables. Under its pretty surface is a stark irony, the fact that within a few miles of wherever that picture hangs, there are people who can’t afford the food displayed in it. The only way to fix this—to make still life the sign of God’s grace and abundance that it needs to be—is to do something. And that’s why I am so grateful to Arm In Arm. The still lifes I created to raise funds in support of their tireless efforts to combat hunger made that work more meaningful to me than it could ever have been otherwise. I am very much in their debt."
We are deeply grateful to Ned, his wife Mari, and Nassau Presbyterian Church for their generosity, creativity, and commitment to our community. Their partnership is a reminder that each of us can use our unique talents and passions to help support neighbors facing hunger and strengthen our community.
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About the Artist: Ned Walthall is a photographer based in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He holds an MFA from the Institute of Art and Design at New England College and has exhibited his work throughout the United States and internationally. His work has been featured by Lenscratch and can be viewed at nedwalthall.com and on Instagram @walthallphotography. Ned and his wife, Mari, are residents of Lawrenceville and members of Nassau Presbyterian Church.
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Get involved today:
Donate or Volunteer to support our local community.
| | If you are interested in exploring how to support our long-term future through planned giving, please contact Erin Hartshorn at 609-396-9355, x13. | | Follow us on Social Media | | | | |
