Eden Autism Adult Services Staff recently hosted a food drive in support of Arm In Arm. Three bins of food were donated just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
“It means a lot because we see a lot more families coming to our pantries for food as well as a lot of organizations asking us to donate food to them for their community,” said Shariq Marshall, Arm In Arm Development and Community Engagement Coordinator. “It takes a lot to sustain. It takes help from communication partners like Eden Autism.”
Eden’s Manager of Employment Services Brooks Sanders organized the food drive. He chose Arm In Arm as the beneficiary of the food drive because they support the greater Mercer County community in so many ways. Several of Eden’s participants also volunteer weekly at their Mill One Distribution Center.
Since November, Arm In Arm has seen a 25% increase in pantry visits, mostly due to the SNAP crisis. They are on pace to surpass 50,000 pantry visits this year.
In addition to food, Arm In Arm also provides housing and utilities assistance. Shariq said that sometimes people are forced to choose between buying food or paying a utility bill. Arm In Arm provides assistance so people don’t have to choose between feeding their family or keeping the heat on.
If you’d like to support Arm In Arm this holiday season, please visit their website.