Arts Council and HomeFront of Mercer County Provides Arts Instruction and Hot Meal to Students

Three local food vendors are contributing fresh, healthy food to the 20 children who attend the Arts Council of Princeton’s Arts Exchange program each week.

Arts Exchange is a partnership program of the Arts Council and HomeFront of Mercer County that has been providing arts instruction and a hot meal each Thursday evening to children since 1993.

According to a news release, for many years, the University Medical Center of Princeton has provided a hot meal and beverages for the HomeFront / Arts Exchange students each week. With the move of the hospital from Witherspoon Street, conversations began with local food vendors to help out with a weekly meal. Olives Deli agreed to provide a hot main dish, the Whole Earth Center provides organic milk and orange juice, Witherspoon Bread Company is donating a green salad and fresh bread, and The Bent Spoon is donating ice cream.

According to the same news release, Arts Council artist-instructor Eva Mantell, who oversees the Arts Exchange program was thrilled about the community collaboration. “There were smiles all around!” As Fran McManus remarked, “Particularly with children, what we feed them says volumes about how much we care about them. It makes me happy and proud to think of Princeton's culinary community joining the Arts Council in telling the children from HomeFront that they are welcome in our community and that they matter.”

For more information, contact Andrea Honore at ahonore@artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.