Cranbury food pantry continues its mission, even when the holidays are over
By: Matt Kirdahy
Their job is never done.
Skeet’s Food Pantry of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury continues its mission even after the holidays, and despite a drop in donations, by providing more than 60 families of the Cranbury area with food every month.
The job, while a vital one, can be difficult, especially since donations from parishioners drops by half for the rest of the year. The drop means the pantry sometimes has problems when it comes time to take on new clients, said pantry co-Director Linda Van Kirk.
"Since Christmas, we’ve received approximately half of the donations that we take in during Thanksgiving," Ms. Van Kirk said. "In that case, we use money raised by the Mission Committee and donations from the Mercer Street Friends to keep up the service."
Currently, the pantry has 15 ministers who deliver to a list of clients ranging in age. Ms. Van Kirk said the clients who receive deliveries are mostly older. Others who are in need pick up boxes on the third Friday of every month.
The majority of that food comes from the Mercer Street Friends in Trenton.
Phyllis Stoolmacher, director of the Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative, said the group delivers the food it receives from private donators and manufacturers to Skeet’s Food Pantry at least twice a month.
"Our job is organizing the need for charitable assistance as it relates to hunger," Ms. Stoolmacher said.
Ms. Stoolmacher is in charge of distribution to about 60 organizations that serve communities in the same fashion as Skeet’s Pantry.
The Skeet’s Food pantry also gets funding from the pantry Mission Committee through the First Presbyterian Church, which raised $800 in donations to go toward supplying the pantry’s clients with food.
In 2002, the church gave the pantry a second room to run its operation. Now Ms. Van Kirk and her husband, Gene Van Kirk, are planning to install a refrigerator and freezer so they can store and deliver perishable food, such as meat and produce to clients. The only perishables they give now are during the holidays with turkeys for Thanksgiving and hams for Christmas.
Skeet’s Food Pantry has collected food in Cranbury for the past 10 years.
The pantry is named in honor of Juanita "Skeet" Trowbridge, a resident of Cranbury and the founder of the pantry. She was a part of the charity until she died last year.
Ms. Van Kirk said the pantry continues to be a success.
She said there is always a need for help and more food. Monetary donations are always accepted along with all nonperishable food products such as cereal, tomato sauce and pastas. The staff uses any donations to purchase food at wholesale price from manufacturers as needed.
To volunteer or make a donation call the Skeet’s Food Pantry at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury on South Main Street at (609) 395-0897.

