Area congregations, schools, businesses, and clubs are invited to join in the Crisis Ministry’s annual pre-Thanksgiving “CAN-U-Copia” food and volunteer drive. The annual fall effort helps stock the shelves of the nonprofit organization’s three food pantries and raises awareness and funds to support its Hunger Prevention initiatives. Crisis Ministry supporters have already held fall food drives of the real and virtual variety: The West Windsor Farmers Market hosted a food drive October 20, that Yes We CAN! Food Drives coordinated and farmers and shoppers contributed to. Employees from an area company collected funds through a “virtual” food drive to support the Crisis Ministry’s Hunger Prevention program.

“The spirit of giving from many congregations, businesses, and community groups is really amazing,” said Carolyn Biondi, Executive Director of the Crisis Ministry. “We are grateful to serve as the connection of these resources to the individuals and family who need them.”

The 2012 CAN-U-Copia drive continues until Thanksgiving with efforts by a variety of organizations, including: First Baptist Church of Trenton, Key Club of Ewing High School, BlackRock, Princeton United Methodist Church, Nassau Presbyterian Church through its Red Truck Food Drive, Trinity Church Princeton, Christ Congregation of Princeton, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton (through its in-gathering and shelf-stocking project), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Trinity Church Rocky Hill, and Princeton Theological Seminarians who will assist with the Crisis Ministry’s scheduled distribution of hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys with dinner fixings. Finally, on Thanksgiving morning, the Crisis Ministry will be one of three charitable organizations supported by the annual Trinity Church Princeton 5K Turkey Trot (www.trinityturkeytrot.org).

For more information or to participate in the 2012 CAN-U-COPIA drive contact Mark Smith (marks@thecrisisministry.org) or Sarah Unger (sarahu@thecrisisministry.org).

The Crisis Ministry of Mercer County, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1980 by Nassau Presbyterian Church and Trinity Church. It partners with the community to achieve stability for neighbors in need, serving some 1,300 households each month through effective hunger prevention, homelessness prevention, and work training programs. The Hunger Prevention program serves clients through pantries at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street in Princeton; and at 117 E. Hanover St. and 400 Hamilton Ave. (the former Bethany Presbyterian Church) in Trenton. The program also offers weekly bilingual nutrition classes through a partnership with the Rutgers Extension Service and regular “Lunch and Learn” health screenings with partner Capital Health System and its Community Health Education Department. For more information on the Crisis Ministry, visit thecrisisministry.org, or facebook.com/TheCrisisMinistry, or call (609) 396-5327.