A place at the table

In the spirit of the season, volunteers make a difference for the hungry.

By: Chris Karmiol
   When one thinks of the holidays, thoughts of welfare reform, joblessness, homelessness and hunger are not the norm. Rather, feelings of warmth and togetherness, of family and gift-giving, inspire the imagination. As the holiday landscape becomes embellished by 7-foot menorahs and extravagantly adorned Christmas trees, thoughts of an inadequate minimum wage, of the working poor, of people struggling with drug addiction, aren’t likely to be dancing like sugar plum fairies in most people’s heads.
   But for Peter Wise, director of the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, such thoughts do prevail. They have to. Day after day serving hot lunches and dinners to the poor and needy in Trenton, Mr. Wise — as well as the staff and volunteers of TASK — see lines. And the lines keep getting longer.
   "That need was growing when unemployment was at a record low of 3.9 percent," Mr. Wise explains while drinking a cappuccino at a Nassau Street café. "Times were good. Welfare roles were down 60 percent, a thriving economy, stock market gangbusters — it was the best of times. Even in that environment, lines were getting longer at the soup kitchen. Now, during an economic correction, post 9/11, we expect it to get worse."
   Picture 2,500 men, women and children lining up at TASK, on Escher Street in downtown Trenton, to receive a free meal from the kindness of many hundreds of hearts. That’s how many meals are served weekly as TASK continues to expand to meet the growing needs — basic nutrition, health, education — of the increasing numbers of people who are slowly falling through the cracks of the wealthiest state, per capita, of what Americans are often being reminded is the greatest nation in the world.
   The working poor, the elderly, the mentally or physically handicapped, the drug-addicted and other forgotten people find their way to TASK for desperately needed support.
   The nondenominational organization, founded in 1982 and housed in its own 10,000-square-foot building since 1987, started out serving soup — literally. TASK has since grown to serve an ample hot meal and offer patrons amenities such as toiletry bags, as well as literacy training, computer instruction and a host of other vital support systems.
   On a Monday afternoon at TASK, at the tail end of lunch service, the building is swarming with activity. Mostly men, but a handful of women, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, crowd the tables and the line to collect a hot meal. Stevie Wonder is playing on the radio. Donated books are spread out on a table for patrons to take. A heavy-set floor manager hands meal tickets out to the incoming stream. A group of faithful volunteers stand behind the food line, serving hundreds.
   The blood that circulates through TASK, keeping its heart beating, is the scores of volunteers who donate time, money, food, services and compassion to the soup kitchen. Churches, synagogues, colleges and corporations mobilize to bring a group down to Trenton once a month to prepare and serve food.
   Among the participating Princeton-area religious communities are Princeton United Methodist Church, St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Skillman and Congregation Beth Chaim in West Windsor.
   Larry Apperson, member of the Princeton United Methodist, organizes a monthly group to serve at TASK. He describes the work as physically challenging, but emotionally and spiritually rewarding.
   "When I was younger I was taught that giving, rather than receiving, is much better," Mr. Apperson says. "I’m convinced of that for sure. Why is it much better? Because you feel much better about it."
   The Caprariello family of Princeton, also members of Princeton United Methodist, lives in a spacious, antique-filled house. Most of the antiques have been passed down through the family — mothers, grandmothers, and so on. In their home, where a Christmas tree glistens, stockings hang unfilled for now, and a Nativity scene patiently awaits the Christmas morning addition of the Christ child, the Caprariellos have created nurturing warmth through family and tradition. This year their tradition will change.
   On Christmas day, Linda and Chuck Caprariello, their sons (Alex, Peter and Andrew) and the boys’ grandmother, Sophie, will all head down to Trenton to lend their hands to those in need. It’s sometimes hard to remember that, for many people, Christmas morning doesn’t mean waking up with the family to open presents. For many, it’s just another day they have to scrap together whatever resources they can to survive.
   That is the mission of TASK. TASK offers a small light on the horizon that keeps a growing number out of the dark. Beyond just serving meals, TASK looks to lift people up through educational programs, counseling and the like.
   "I firmly believe we can solve this problem in the region," Mr. Wise says. "I realize the economy is uncertain, (but) the work of the soup kitchen must go on. It’s even more important now than before."
   TASK continually looks for volunteers of time, services and dollars. People skilled in literacy training and computer training, GED tutors, health practitioners, donors of food and money and, of course, servers. The needs will be met, step by step.
   Volunteers consider their work the planting of seeds that will help sprout new self-sufficient lives — if not for this generation, then for the next. The heartbeat of TASK will continue, as long as new blood keeps streaming through its veins.
   The Trenton Area Soup Kitchen is located at 72-1/2 Escher St. (P.O. Box 872), Trenton 08605. Telephone: (609) 695-5456.

   TASK’s e-mail is [email protected] and Web site address is www.trentonsoupkitchen.org.

   Other agencies on the front line against hunger and homelessness are the Crisis Ministry of Princeton and Trenton, (609) 279-0822, HomeFront, (609) 989-9417, Mercer Street Friends, (609) 396-1506, and Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, (609) 394-5181.