Mercer Street Friends

What Mercer Street Friends does

Mercer Street Friends is a Quaker-affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1958 in Trenton, New Jersey, that delivers integrated food security, family support, and education programs to Mercer County residents. As the designated Feeding America Food Bank of Mercer County, the organization channels millions of meals annually through a distribution network of more than 100 partner agencies — food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, meal sites, senior centers, and low-income housing sites — anchored by a warehouse facility in Ewing Township. Direct programs include Send Hunger Packing (1,800 weekend food bags per week across 42 schools), Community Food Bags (400,000+ bags and 6 million meals since March 2020), Growing Healthy Pantries Initiative, a no-cost Preschool serving 90 children ages 3–5, Home Visiting Services (Trenton Healthy Families TIP and Parents As Teachers), Adult Basic Education, and a Community Schools Initiative operating in six partner schools with integrated reading intervention, summer bridge, afterschool, health, and mental health services.

The organization's business model is contribution-based rather than transactional: services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries, and revenue is assembled from individual donations, corporate sponsorships (Bloomberg, Wegmans, ShopRite, Bank of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, NJM Insurance, and 80+ others), foundation grants (Tepper, Gund, McGraw, James Kerney, Princeton Area Community Foundation), and federal/state government grants (notably the NJ Department of Agriculture and Office of Food Security Advocate). There is no proprietary technology platform; the digital surface consists of a content website, an email newsletter, and a basic Mercer Food Finder resource-locator tool, with operations run on standard nonprofit administrative systems and warehouse logistics.

Mercer Street Friends is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Kenneth Blackwell and led since April 2025 by CEO Randall West, succeeding Bernie Flynn. The organization employs 51–100 staff across four primary locations (headquarters on Mercer Street in Trenton, an Ewing Township warehouse, and two direct-service sites on West State Street and North Hermitage Avenue) and has received regional recognition including BINJE Top 50 NJ Nonprofits (2025) and a New Jersey General Assembly Resolution (2026). Strategic priorities under new leadership emphasize Community Schools expansion, statewide produce sourcing through the America's Grow-a-Row / Feeding America NJ collaborative, and dignity-based food pantry models.

Name

Mercer Street Friends

Legal name

Mercer Street Friends

Website

https://mercerstreetfriends.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mercer Street Friends is a Quaker-affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1958 that delivers food security, family support, and education programs to Mercer County, NJ, operating as the Feeding America Food Bank of the county and serving 60,000+ families through 100+ partner agencies and six Community Schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Community education programs
• Family support services
• Nonprofit social services
• Early childhood education

Headquarters

HQ city

Trenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Mercer Street Friends accepts one-time and recurring online donations from individuals, as well as gifts by mail, stock transfers, and planned giving opportunities.
2. Corporate Sponsorships & Foundation Grants: The organization receives support from corporate sponsors (Bloomberg, Wegmans, ShopRite, Bank of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, NJM Insurance, and 80+ other sponsors) and foundations (Tepper Foundation, Gund Foundation, McGraw Foundation, James Kerney Foundation, and others).
3. Government Grants: Mercer Street Friends receives federal, state, and local government funding including grants from NJ Department of Agriculture and Office of Food Security Advocate for food distribution and capacity building.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mercer Street Friends is a Quaker-affiliated nonprofit that operates the Feeding America Food Bank of Mercer County, distributing millions of meals annually through a network of 100+ partner agencies, and runs integrated food security, family support, and education programs. Its direct-delivery portfolio includes Send Hunger Packing (weekend food bags at 42 schools), Community Food Bags (emergency family meal bags), Students Change Hunger (student-led food drives), Growing Healthy Pantries Initiative, Community Schools Initiative (six partner schools), a free Preschool for Trenton children, Home Visiting Services for parents of young children, and Adult Basic Education.

Product overview

Mercer Street Friends is a Quaker-affiliated nonprofit offering an integrated portfolio of food security, family support, and education programs in Mercer County, New Jersey. As the Feeding America Food Bank of Mercer County, the Food Bank channels millions of meals through a network of 100+ partner agencies. Its family services include Home Visiting Services (Trenton Healthy Families TIP and Parents As Teachers) and Adult Basic Education. Education programs encompass the Community Schools Initiative (six partner schools offering Summer Bridge, Reading Intervention, and afterschool enrichment), a Preschool program, and Student Change Hunger food drives. The Send Hunger Packing and Community Food Bags programs address food insecurity for children and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Bank (Feeding America Food Bank of Mercer County) Operates Mercer County's Feeding America Food Bank, distributing millions of meals annually through a network of more than 100 partner food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, meal sites, senior centers, programs for the disabled, and low-income housing sites using staff and volunteers.
• Send Hunger Packing (SHUP) Weekend food bag program serving 42 schools throughout Mercer County, packing 1,800 weekend food bags per week (approximately 10,000 meal bags per month) to ensure students have nutritious food when not in school.
• Community Food Bags Emergency food bag program launched in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing 16 meals per bag for families throughout the week; has distributed over 400,000 bags totaling 6 million meals since inception.
• Students Change Hunger New Jersey-wide student movement empowering schools to host food drives and fundraisers to support local food banks; coordinated by Mercer Street Friends in Mercer County with a themed winter food drive.
• Growing Healthy Pantries Initiative Collaborative initiative with New Jersey's five food banks, Horizon, and Feeding America to improve food pantry operations by offering healthier, more dignified choice-based services through a toolkit and best practices program.
• Community Schools Initiative Lead agency for the Community Schools initiative in Mercer County since 2015, partnering with schools, families, and community organizations to provide integrated supports including Summer Bridge, Reading Intervention, afterschool enrichment, and school-based food pantries across six partner schools.
• Preschool High-quality early childhood education at no cost for children ages 3 to 5 residing in Trenton, providing academic instruction, social skills development, nutritious meals, and family support through certified teachers using the Creative Curriculum; operating for more than 30 years and serving 90 children per year.
• Home Visiting Services Parent and family engagement programs including Trenton Healthy Families TIP (TANF Initiative for Parents) and Parents As Teachers (PAT), providing weekly home visits with certified Family Support Workers to support parenting education, child development, and family well-being.
• Adult Basic Education Adult education program enabling individuals to earn a New Jersey State Diploma through one-on-one instruction with teachers or volunteer instructors aligned to New Jersey Common Core Standards and College and Career Readiness Standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 190% increase in students reading on grade level through Reading Intervention Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• America's Grow-a-RowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025America's Grow-a-Row (AGAR), New Jersey's largest nonprofit farm (423 acres in Hunterdon County), partners with Mercer Street Friends and all five Feeding America NJ food banks to distribute fresh produce. The partnership keeps more than 2.3 million pounds of NJ-grown produce (9 million servings) in state annually, with distribution increasing by 85% to 2.6 million pounds.
• Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative (MARC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025MARC provides logistical expertise to sort and package mixed produce loads so food banks and pantries receive quality and variety of produce, along with aggregated reporting for transparency and performance tracking.
• New Jersey Department of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJ Department of Agriculture provides funding support for FY26 Capacity Investment Grant to expand food distribution and strengthen partner agency capacity.
• College of New JerseycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCNJ provides best educational practices, mentor opportunities, and expanded learning opportunities for Community Schools students.
• Rider University (Bonner Scholars)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRider University's Bonner Scholars program mentors students at Community Schools.
• Henry J. Austin Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides mobile health clinic services at Community Schools to address student and family health needs.
• Millhill Child and Family Development CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides mental health services for students and families at Community Schools.
• Trenton Health TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Trenton Health Team provides the Mercer Food Finder tool and coordinates health resources with food services.
• Feeding America New Jersey (5 Food Banks)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of five Feeding America food banks in NJ (Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Food Bank of South Jersey, Fulfill, Norwescap, and Mercer Street Friends) collaborate on statewide initiatives including produce distribution.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMercer Street Friends is the designated Feeding America Food Bank of Mercer County, providing access to national resources, best practices, and supply chain support.
• Trenton School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Trenton School District enables Community Schools Initiative at four Trenton schools and Preschool partnership.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mercerstfriends

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mercer Street Friends