Projects

Our vision for a healthy Trenton includes all residents of Mercer County having access to nutritious, affordable food.

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” – FAO, 2001. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2001. Rome.’

Many residents of Mercer County face food insecurity, meaning they do not fully realize this definition and at times lack the money and resources to buy enough food for their households.

For the second consecutive year, Feeding America reported an increase in food insecurity in Mercer County, with the rate climbing from 9.7% in 2022 to 11.1% in 2023, which represents a 3.9% increase since 2021. Food insecurity is not evenly distributed across Mercer County and is higher in areas like Trenton, as indicated by our NJ Statewide Food Insecurity Index.

Through various resident food needs surveys, THT has sought to better understand Mercer County residents’ need for and use of free food resources, such as food pantries and grab-n-go meals. The primary barriers identified to accessing these resources include: lack of awareness regarding resource availability and eligibility, inaccessible operating hours, and lack of transportation. Other challenges uncovered were differences in cultural food preferences, language barriers, and social barriers such as stigma.

What is THT Doing About It?

With the increased need for food across Mercer County, Trenton Health Team, along with its various partners, developed a free web app that helps those in need of free food resources.

Free Food Finder

The Mercer County Free Food Finder directory lists meal sites, food pantries, and meal distribution sites serving children, families, seniors, and adults.

Features include:

• A searchable directory of food distribution sites
• Interactive map display
• Filtering on the day of the week, time of day, eligibility requirements, and more
• Embedded Google translate support
• Events tagging one-time opportunities, such as farm markets and special distributions
• PDF export of food site search for print distribution

 If you need help using the app, click here for the tutorial.

NJ Statewide Insecurity Index

THT launched the NJ Statewide Food Insecurity Index in June 2025, after the successful launch of the Mercer County and Tri-County versions. THT’s goal in expanding the Index statewide was to help organizations and leaders all across the state make data-driven decisions and craft effective strategies in addressing food insecurity in their communities. This online tool can be used when deciding where to target outreach and programs by highlighting the areas most in need.