Princeton Mobile Food Pantry Feeds Hundreds Of Hungry Families

PRINCETON, NJ — What started as a "mini pantry" inside Liliana Morenilla's purse has since exploded into a full-blown, volunteer-led organization that is now feeding 450 hungry families and counting in Princeton during the coronavirus pandemic.

Morenilla moved to Princeton in 2007 and returned to work in 2010 when her youngest child entered sixth grade.

"I found through my work that many kids were coming in hungry, and also didn't have a snack at snack time," Morenilla said. "I created a snack food 'pantry' of sorts in my purse; and then, when I got an office, stocked even more healthy treats."

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In 2014, Debbie Bronfeld, who was with Mercer Street Friends at the time, began giving Morenilla apples and other items to give to the kids. Eventually, it became clear that the need was greater than snacks.

"I started going to Mercer Street Friends and filling my car with whatever they could give me: pantry items, produce, anything!" Morenilla said. "I would park my car in front of Pannell Center, open my trunk, and about 30 families would come by for food."

In 2017 Morenilla established a more-formal operation, the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry, under the support of Mercer Street Friends.

Pre-coronavirus, the Princeton-based, independent, volunteer-led, grassroots organization would operate out of various locations. The pantry was also previously word-of-mouth and unknown to most people in Princeton. People came once a week and received a bag, no questions asked.

"Nowadays, well, a lot has changed — it had to!" Morenilla said. "The pantry operates independently, is entirely mobile, the list of requests has grown from 300 to well over 400 people. We established a logo, website, Facebook page, email address, have more volunteers, and the ability to take online donations. We are still very grassroots and not a 501(c)3."

Morenilla's last delivery helped almost 450 people, from newborns to senior citizens and people of all backgrounds.

"Many people who are served by the pantry are juggling a lot in their lives: They are frequently unbanked, work multiple jobs that lack job protection, struggle to make Princeton rents so they can keep a roof over their family's head, and [have] food insecurity," Morenilla said. "With the pandemic, a lot of people's lives have become even more fragile, which is why our list has grown. The pantry core volunteer team understands this — kindness, respect and support are central to how we operate."

Most recently, the pantry has partnered with McCaffrey's Food Market to be able to provide fresh groceries such as proteins and produce.

"Our goal is to serve as many people as possible, so we continue to re-evaluate our grocery list to ensure maximum impact. The food we deliver is fresh, culturally relevant, and has received enthusiastic responses — it also pairs well with a lot of what other organizations are providing."

On delivery days, volunteers assemble to pack grocery orders, which are delivered to more than 80 locations and counting.

Interested volunteers should fill out this survey, as there are several ways to assist the pantry. Donations, monetary or food, are also accepted.

Businesses and schools have also donated products and gift cards, including Cherry Blow Dry Bar, Hun, McCaffrey's, Small World Coffee, WildFlour Bakery/Cafe, Whole Foods. Other organizations include Arm in Arm, Eccelsia, The Bag Project, The Golden Lotus Project, Princeton Marching Forward, Princeton Mutual Aid, I Support the Girls and Johnson Park.

For more information on the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry or to donate, visit the Facebook page or website.

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