In response to Trenton’s West Ward designation as a food desert, 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 Sept. 24. The market is the neighborhood’s first full-choice pantry marketplace.
Without enough full-service grocery stores, Trenton residents often rely on convenience stores and corner markets that rarely stock fresh, affordable produce, limiting options for neighbors seeking nutritious, well-balanced food. Transportation challenges compound the situation, requiring residents to find a ride, spend money and travel 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 Ave., addresses 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 offers 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.
“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.”
The resource hub takes a holistic approach to responding to the challenges that can 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.
Dining and Cooking