In the Community, For the Community – The 222
Mercer Street Friends in Partnership with HomeFront and Trenton Health Team Open The 222: Community Market and Resource Hub on North Hermitage Avenue in Trenton
Neighborhood’s first full-choice pantry marketplace offers a varied and dignified approach to food and social services needs
In response to Trenton’s West Ward designation as a food dessert, Mercer Street Friends, HomeFront, with support from Trenton Health Team and with funding from NJEDA FEED NJ and Mercer County, celebrated the opening of The 222: Community Market and Resource Hub with a ribbon cutting event on September 24.
Lacking an adequate number of full-service grocery stores, Trenton residents are often left to rely on convenience stores and corner markets that rarely stock fresh, affordable produce, limiting the options for neighbors seeking nutritious, well balanced food choices. The situation is compounded by presenting residents with transportation challenges that require finding a ride, expending money and traveling at least two miles outside the city to reach a traditional supermarket.
The 222: Community Market and Resource Hub, located in Mercer Street Friends’ newly renovated space at 222 North Hermitage Avenue, addresses longstanding gaps in access to food and critical social service resources for residents of Trenton’s West Ward. As the West Ward’s first choice-based, free community marketplace, the space is designed to offer a familiar and dignified grocery-shopping experience. Fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful as are canned and other shelf-stable goods, frozen chicken and meats, dairy and eggs, offering a wide variety of nutritious options – all at no cost.
The resource hub takes a holistic approach to responding to the challenges that can negatively impact individual and family health and well-being. In addition to food, residents may access essential family goods such as diapers and hygiene products while establishing connections to services focused on housing stability and family and parenting support.
“We are so proud to stand with our partners in government and the nonprofit sector as we open The 222,” said Randall West, CEO, Mercer Street Friends. “By placing fresh food, essential resources and support in one location within reach, we are helping create a stronger, healthier West Ward. No one should have to choose between putting food on the table and meeting other basic needs.”
“Access to fresh, affordable food is an economic and social imperative and through Governor Sherrill’s $30 million FEED NJ program, the NJEDA is investing in innovative, community-driven initiatives to strengthen food security throughout New Jersey. For decades, Mercer Street Friends, HomeFront and Trenton Health Team have been helping expand access to food, support families and create opportunities for Trenton residents. We are thrilled to have been a part of this project and look forward to seeing the impact that The 222 will have on the West Ward and beyond for years to come,” said Tara Colton, Chief Economic Security Officer, New Jersey Economic Development Authority.
“Access to nutritious food is fundamental to a healthy community, and this full-choice pantry is an important step toward ensuring our residents have the resources they need to thrive,” said Mercer County Executive Dan Benson. “I want to thank Governor Sherrill and NJEDA leadership for their investment in this project through the FEED NJ program as well as HomeFront, Mercer Street Friends and the Trenton Health Team for their continued commitment to serving our community. Mercer County was proud to invest in this project, and we are pleased to see that investment become a welcoming, accessible resource for individuals and families right here in Trenton.”
“The 222 reflects something we have learned again and again at HomeFront: Families rarely face just one challenge at a time. A family coming through the door for groceries may also be navigating housing instability, employment challenges or other pressures,” said Sarah Steward, CEO, HomeFront. “By bringing trusted organizations and resources together in one welcoming place, we can meet people where they are, with dignity, and help connect them to the support they need to move forward.”
“Based on data from our food security tools, Trenton’s West Ward was identified as an area where the community has limited access to food resources,” said Matthew Broad, Director of Programs, Trenton Health Team. “The 222 is strategically positioned to serve the entire West Ward and improve food security through robust collaboration.”
Learn more about The 222: Community Market and Resource Hub.
