Mercer Street Friends

05/29/2026

Strong community partnerships create stronger outcomes for students. 💪📚

Mercer Street Friends is proud to partner with The College of New Jersey’s Bonner Scholars Program to support students at our Community Schools in . Together, Bonner Scholars and Mercer Street Friends staff are helping create supportive learning environments where students feel encouraged, connected, and empowered to thrive.

From assisting in classrooms and afterschool programs to supporting school events and mentoring students, these dedicated college volunteers are making a meaningful impact every day – while building lasting connections within the community.

Read more about the impact they are having at B.C. Gregory Elementary school in The Signal:

As one of the many community partners of the Bonner Institute at the College, Mercer Street Friends is a nonprofit organization that works with various medical, social and human service organizations and schools to aid families in Mercer County.

05/28/2026

REMINDER! The Sixth Annual Leadership Awards Celebration is only a few weeks away! 🎉🗓️

Join Mercer Street Friends on Tuesday, June 9, from 5:00–7:30 p.m. in for an evening celebrating extraordinary leaders and organizations making a difference in our community.

This year’s honorees include:
🔹 Bloomberg Philanthropies – Corporate Leadership & Public Service Award
🔹 Senator Shirley K. Turner – 2026 Humanitarian Award
🔹 Ken Blackwell, Board Chair – Robert M. Appelbaum Service Award

We hope you will join us for an evening of community connection, celebration, and inspiration as we recognize what true leadership looks like in action. 💙 Purchase tickets or secure your sponsorship here: https://bit.ly/41HCay9

05/27/2026

We are so proud of the hard work shown by our Reading Intervention students this year – and even more proud of everything they have accomplished! 📚🎉

Students at B.C. Gregory Elementary School in recently celebrated the end of this year’s Reading Intervention Program, where 72 students worked closely with reading intervention specialists to strengthen their literacy skills. Across all three Community Schools where the program is offered, a total of 162 students participated in the effort to improve reading skills.

Offered through the Mercer Street Friends Community Schools Initiative, the Reading Intervention Program provides students with consistent, small-group reading support throughout the school year. Led by retired certified teachers, the program combines personalized instruction with ongoing progress monitoring to help students build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and achieve academic growth.

Learn more about the celebration and the Reading Intervention Program here: https://mercerstreetfriends.org/mercer-street-friends-celebrates-reading-intervention-students/

05/26/2026

When summer starts, learning doesn’t stop at Mercer Street Friends! 🌞 When school doors close for the year, programs at our Community Schools remain open – helping bridge the educational gap between spring and fall, when students are most at risk of falling behind.

Through the Summer Bridge program, students in our Community Schools and Preschool continue building their skills in math, reading, and social-emotional learning, all while enjoying fun field trips and enriching experiences along the way.

When the final school bell rings, Summer Bridge begins – because cool kids keep learning all summer long! 📚😎

Learn more about Summer Bridge and the other programs supporting strong educational outcomes for students across : https://bit.ly/44ZyPMj

05/21/2026

Big news! Mercer Street Friends is excited to welcome Tom Bergeron, Owner and Editor of BINJE, as the emcee for the Sixth Annual Leadership Awards Celebration! 🎤🌟

Join us on Tuesday, June 9, from 5:00–7:30 p.m. at the Mercer Street Friends warehouse in . Purchase tickets or secure your sponsorship today for this can’t-miss evening of celebration, community, and impact!

🔗 https://bit.ly/41HCay9

05/20/2026

Last month, Mercer Street Friends was proud to participate in Stop & Shop’s Feeding Our Families Food Drive!

We are always honored to partner in community-driven efforts that help fight food insecurity and support families across our region. Initiatives like these play an important role in strengthening anti-hunger efforts and ensuring neighbors in need have access to nutritious food and essential resources.

Thank you to Stop & Shop and everyone who contributed to making this initiative a success!

05/19/2026

Mercer Street Friends Preschool registration is open NOW! 🚨📚

Success, bright futures, and a lifelong love of learning begin long before your child walks into their kindergarten classroom. The foundation for academic excellence and the opportunities that come with it is built during a child’s most formative years – preschool.
Mercer Street Friends Preschool offers high-quality early childhood education at no cost for children ages 3 to 5 who reside in . Guided by certified teachers and teacher assistants, students build reading and math skills while strengthening cognitive, social, and emotional development – all essential for success in kindergarten, elementary school, and beyond. 🌟

Fill out a registration form for the 2026–27 school year here:

https://bit.ly/4tznvk6

05/18/2026

A statewide partnership is helping keep more fresh New Jersey produce right here in the Garden State! 🥕💙

Last week, Mercer Street Friends joined the four other New Jersey Feeding America food banks – The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Food Bank of South Jersey, Fulfill, and Norwescap New Jersey – at America's Grow-a-Row in , alongside the Mid-Atlantic Regional Cooperative and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to celebrate a successful first year of collaboration!

Over the past year, we have worked together to strengthen how fresh fruits and vegetables are sourced and distributed across the state – keeping Jersey produce on Jersey tables. 🍑🍅 The result? We increased the percentage of America's Grow-a-Row produce retained in NJ from 34% to 63%, resulting in over 2.6 million pounds of fresh produce reaching neighbors in need across NJ!

Learn more about this transformative work on the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s blog: https://cfbnj.org/enhancing-produce-sourcing-and-sharing-a-statewide-collaboration/

05/15/2026

Incoming CEO Randall West attended the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee Hearing on the FY 2027 Budget: Department of Education/Schools Development Authority in yesterday, where he had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Lily Laux, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, and Chris Williams, Chief of Staff to the Commissioner.

Mercer Street Friends is excited to be part of conversations focused on strengthening outcomes for children and families across New Jersey. As discussions continue around the future of education and student support, programs like the Community Schools Initiative demonstrate the importance of investing in the whole child – academically, socially, emotionally, and nutritionally.

At Mercer Street Friends, we have seen firsthand that student success cannot be separated from family wellbeing, access to resources, and strong community support systems. Through our Community Schools Initiative, we remain committed to advancing an integrated approach that helps students, families, and communities thrive together while building a stronger, more resilient future for .

05/14/2026

Join us on Tuesday, June 9 from 5:00-7:30 PM as we honor the extraordinary members of our community who inspire us to nourish minds and bodies; empower families and communities. 🎉

Today, we’re our Robert M. Appelbaum Service Award recipient, Ken Blackwell.

Ken has served on the Mercer Street Friends Board of Trustees for over a decade, and as the Board Chair since 2020, helping to strategically expand our impact across . Most recently, he represented the organization at the Feeding America Conference in Dallas – continuing to champion our mission and the community we serve!

Thank you, Ken, for your leadership and dedication!

Be part of the celebration – reserve your seat or become a sponsor today: https://bit.ly/41HCay9