With Hunger Growing, Princeton Nonprofit Expands To Lawrenceville

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton-based Share My Meals announced it was broadening activities to nearby Lawrenceville to help families facing food insecurity.

The nonprofit that works to alleviate hunger in the Princeton area has added a fifth restaurant to its network.

Fedora Café, Lawrenceville, will now be preparing meals for families in the township.

According to Share My Meals, there are many food insecure families in Lawrenceville.

"The need in Lawrenceville is mirroring what we see in Princeton. Hunger existed in the community before COVID-19 and has been exacerbated during the pandemic," president Isabelle Lambotte said in a statement.

At the end of last year, Lawrenceville residents who had family members living in Princeton reached out to the organization to help find a solution to address food insecurity.

“We began providing meals to Lawrenceville residents with the support of Princeton restaurants. But there are many families to provide for and we needed find a partner in Lawrenceville,” said Macarena de Torres, who handles logistics from Share My Meals.

The organization then partnered with Fedora which has “a great kitchen and provides a wide variety of food.”

“It’s a welcoming place, families feel comfortable going there,” said de Torres. With its downtown location, the restaurant is also easily accessible through public transport.

“When I was approached by Share My Meals, I began my research. I saw the work they are doing in Princeton and realized many people in my community are in need,” said Ishara Wijesuriya, owner of Fedora.

Wijesuriya bought the restaurant last summer amid the pandemic. “It’s been a difficult time for the restaurant industry with closures, reduced seating capacity and also for restaurant employees,” said Wijesuriya.

A resident of Lawrenceville, Wijesuriya was keen to contribute to the community. “This is my way of doing something for food insecure community members. Yesterday was our first day and I saw so many people come in to pick up their meals,” she said.

The restaurant will provide meals three times a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Each meal will consist of fresh, wholesome food for a family.

"Our partnership with Share My Meals is indefinite. We will continue till there is a need in our community,” said Wijesuriya.

Share My Meals is planning to expand operations in Lawrenceville in the coming weeks. They are currently looking for volunteers to help serve the community.

“Once we include more families, we’ll need volunteers to help us deliver food to families who can’t come to pick up meals,” said de Torres.

Those interested in volunteering can fill out a form by clicking here.

The organization is also in need of donations. You can donate here.

Restaurants in Lawrenceville who would like to partner with Share My Meals can email Macarena@sharemymeals.org, to learn more about how to get involved.

(This story is part of Patch's Headlining Hope series, which profiles local nonprofits and charitable organizations in need of volunteers and resources. If you know of a local organization that should be profiled, contact sarah.salvadore@patch.com)

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