Unions for Princeton Public Schools employees support mobile food pantry with dollars and volunteer hours

Princeton Public Schools employees from the Princeton Regional Educator’s Association, the Princeton Administrator Association, and the Princeton Regional Educational Support Staff Association joined forces with the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry last week to help support the pantry’s efforts to feed local families during the pandemic.

The teachers’ union secured a grant from the state teacher union’s NJEA PRIDE program to buy two weeks of meals for the mobile food pantry. Volunteers also helped pack groceries for families on March 24.

“Our primary focus is on Princeton Public Schools families, so it’s very special to receive this support from some of the most important people in the lives of our kids,” said Liliana Morenilla, pantry founder and community outreach coordinator for the Princeton Public Schools.

The teachers’ union received a grant for $3,500 to buy a two-week supply of food for about 100 families. Prices and the number of families in need increased, so staff members worked to raise more money, figuring the group would need another $400, or a total of $4,000. The group doubled its goal with donations from union members, plus donations from the unions for administrators and support staff. The total raised was $4,600, enough to cover the pantry’s costs for two weeks of food to feed about 500 people. The unions also treated McCaffrey’s workers to lunch for the second time over the past year as a way to say thank you for their work during the pandemic.