What is Loaves and Fishes

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If you are new to UUCWC, you may not know the story behind Loaves and Fishes, one of our congregation’s longest-running social action ministries. Loaves and Fishes provides weekend meals for people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity at several locations in Trenton. Twice each month, those meals are served at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Trenton, with food prepared and provided by congregations and social justice organizations throughout Mercer County.

For more than 30 years, UUCWC has partnered with the UU Congregation in Princeton (UUCP) to provide a Saturday meal each spring when Loaves and Fishes is at St. Mary’s. This year, UUCWC and UUCP will offer that meal on Saturday, March 28.

Food insecurity remains a serious concern: one in eight people in New Jersey lacks consistent access to enough food. Through Loaves and Fishes, we help meet immediate needs while continuing to work toward systemic change so that hunger no longer exists in the United States in the twenty-first century.

In past years, our community has served up to 500 meals with as many as 90 volunteers baking brownies, preparing food, and serving guests at St. Mary’s.

This year, the Food Ministry will prepare 250 pieces of taco chicken with all the trimmings for the sit-down meal, along with a take-home serving of chicken. UCP prepares the same. Volunteers will also assemble brown-bag lunches with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fruit. U

How can you help?

  • Brown-bag lunches will be prepared at UUCWC on Friday night March 27th.
  • We need 10 volunteers to serve approximately 250 guests at St. Mary’s on Saturday. Volunteers help set up the community room, serve snacks and hot beverages, serve the meal, and clean up afterward. Volunteers from UUCP and other organizations will also join us.
  • We need bakers to make 250 brownies. Each volunteer is asked to provide two dozen brownies.
  • We also need a few people with strong backs transport the chicken from UUCWC to St. Mary’s The stairs at St. Mary’s are difficult to navigate and the containers are heavy.

A SignUpGenius link will be shared in the weekly emails.

UUCWC is proud to continue its tradition of helping ensure that everyone who comes to St. Mary’s for a meal leaves a little less hungry. We hope you will join us.