Tackling Food Insecurity in Mercer County, New Jersey

The pandemic made the health inequities that persist in our culture and systems more visible than ever. This was especially true for food insecurity in Mercer County, New Jersey, a wealthy area that is home to the state’s disinvested capital city, Trenton. Nonprofit partners came together through the Trenton Food Stakeholders (TFS) to meet increased demands for food support and create a stronger, more sustainable, regional, food safety net. TFS is collaborating to clearly identify who needs food, where they are, and how to make it as easy as possible for them to provide healthy food for their families.

This case study details how to develop and implement location-specific tools and analyses to define, identify, and address food insecurity. Presenters use local examples including the Trenton and Mercer County Food Needs Surveys, the Mercer County Free Food Finder, the Mercer County Food Insecurity Index, and a network analysis of food pantries that work with the county food bank. Together, they not only paint a picture of concentrated need and inequitable distribution of resources, but also reveal actionable insights that partners are using to modify or expand their services.

NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Foundational. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.