{"id":12472,"date":"2024-02-05T01:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T06:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=12472"},"modified":"2024-03-05T19:06:57","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T00:06:57","slug":"friends-indeed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/?p=12472","title":{"rendered":"Friends indeed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The cans and boxes were stacked<\/span> high on pallets in a Ewing warehouse<\/span> through the first frantic months of the<\/span> pandemic in 2020 \u2014 beans, tuna,<\/span> spaghetti, tomato sauce, cereal, fruit<\/span> cups, and macaroni and cheese.<\/span> Donations were up at the Mercer<\/span> Street Friends food bank, but so was<\/span> demand from the organizations it<\/span> serves. The need was large and<\/span> growing, but Mercer Street Friends\u2019<\/span> warehouse space for food was small<\/span> and stuffed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bernie
Bernie Flynn, Mercer Street Friends\u2019 CEO, and James Allen, food bank director<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

James \u201cButter\u201d Allen \u201976 had<\/span> started running the food bank just<\/span> as the pandemic started and schools<\/span> closed. Worried about the children<\/span> who relied on school breakfasts and<\/span> lunches, he launched a community<\/span> food bag program and depended on a<\/span> core group of 300 volunteers \u2014 team<\/span> members, he prefers to call them \u2014 to<\/span> fill 5,000 bags a month with food to <\/span>give to those in need.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought that would be just for<\/span> the pandemic and then die out,\u201d Allen<\/span> says. \u201cBut it just continually grew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of every 10 people in the county<\/span> Mercer Street serves is considered<\/span> food insecure \u2014 the bloodless<\/span> government term that encompasses<\/span> a third-grader distracted from math<\/span> class by a rumbly stomach; a senior<\/span> citizen trying to stretch a Social<\/span> Security check across a month of<\/span> meals; a parent weighing gas money<\/span> to get to work against chicken legs<\/span> for the kids for dinner. The Mercer<\/span> County food insecurity rate roughly mirrors the national rate, which has<\/span> been rising since the end of pandemic<\/span> relief policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, three years since Allen had<\/span> started the food bag program, his<\/span> team fills 11,000 bags a month and the<\/span> food bank channels about six million<\/span> pounds of food to a network of more<\/span> than 150 food pantries, shelters, soup<\/span> kitchens, and social service sites.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The operation has spilled into some<\/span> adjacent space in the building, but that<\/span> still hasn\u2019t been enough. And, like the<\/span> main warehouse, it doesn\u2019t belong to<\/span> Mercer Street Friends, the only food<\/span> bank in New Jersey that rents, not<\/span> owns, its facility. So, when the state<\/span> made some money available to use for<\/span> a down payment \u2014 $2 million \u2014 they<\/span> started scouting for a home of their<\/span> own. They first tried Trenton, where they started in 1958 as a community<\/span> center in a defunct Quaker meeting<\/span> house in the Mill Hill neighborhood.<\/span> Nothing there worked. They looked<\/span> elsewhere in Mercer County, where<\/span> their food helps nourish 100,000<\/span> residents each month, but nothing<\/span> quite fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

But then, they heard about a place in<\/span> Ewing that sounded just right: 42,000<\/span> square feet of warehouse, packing<\/span> rooms, and office space. \u201cI thought,<\/span> \u2018This is going to be good,\u2019\u201d says Allen.<\/span> \u201cThis is our home.\u201d But at the time, he<\/span> didn\u2019t yet know who owned it. \u201cI went<\/span> over and there was a sign that said, \u2018Campus Fundraisers.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And it was right then that Allen said<\/span> to himself, \u201cI know these folks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It would have been hard to live on<\/span> campus during Allen\u2019s many years<\/span> and jobs at TCNJ and not know him,<\/span> or to call him anything but \u201cButter,\u201d<\/span> a nickname bestowed by his seventh-<\/span>grade gym teacher. He first came to<\/span> Trenton State in 1970 as part of the<\/span> Upward Bound program. Then, as a<\/span> sophomore studying political science<\/span> and public administration, Allen<\/span> worked as a dining hall assistant<\/span> manager and hired a freshman history<\/span> education major, Howie Dumhart \u201977,<\/span> as a dishwasher.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dumhart was the first in his<\/span> extended family to go to college, and<\/span> he proved to be an exceptionally industrious worker, running the<\/span> dish room with only his roommate<\/span> after persuading Allen that the other<\/span> dishwashers were just extra baggage.<\/span> After graduating, he landed back at<\/span> Trenton State, working as a residence<\/span> hall director and studying for a<\/span> master\u2019s in education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Matejka, the director of<\/span> the Lakeside residence halls at the<\/span> time, was similarly industrious, and the two of them soon became<\/span> entrepreneurial partners \u2014 investing<\/span> in several thousand of the twistable<\/span> plastic ice-cube trays that were then<\/span> new to the market and selling them on<\/span> weekends at the Englishtown Auction<\/span> flea market, and running winter-break<\/span> trips for students to Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the fall of 1981, Dumhart and<\/span> Matejka had an idea that grew into<\/span> a business that lasted for decades.<\/span> Matejka was the advisor to the Residence Hall Association on campus,<\/span> which wanted to raise some money.<\/span> What about care packages \u2014 fruit<\/span> baskets with notes from home that<\/span> parents could have delivered to dorm<\/span> rooms during final exams?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe notes were pretty cool,\u201d says<\/span> Matejka. \u201cYou know, \u2018Good luck on<\/span> finals, we miss you, here\u2019s a picture of<\/span> your dog.\u2019 We did a mailing to about<\/span> 2,000 people and we got over 1,100<\/span> orders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They tried it again at the end of<\/span> the spring semester. \u201cWe thought<\/span> maybe it was just the holidays driving<\/span> it,\u201d Dumhart says. \u201cBut parents still<\/span> bought in the springtime. That\u2019s when<\/span> we knew we had a real business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The two men worked out of the<\/span> apartment where Matejka and his<\/span> wife, NancyLee \u201981, lived, and started<\/span> Campus Fundraisers. They sold<\/span> packages that included fruits, candy,<\/span> and nuts in wicker baskets, and<\/span> then expanded to other campuses:<\/span> University of Delaware, Kean College,<\/span> University of Pennsylvania, Montclair<\/span> State, and Glassboro State. Soon there<\/span> were nine schools, then 17, then 35<\/span> schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were getting 35, 40, 45 percent<\/span> response rates,\u201d Matejka says. \u201cAt<\/span> the time, direct mail was happy if<\/span> they were getting three, four percent<\/span> response rates.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Matejka left his residence hall<\/span> job and campus apartment in 1985<\/span> to work full-time in the business.<\/span> By then they had signed up about<\/span> 90 schools with the same business<\/span> model: partner with the schools,<\/span> share the revenue. By 1990, they<\/span> were large enough that they designed <\/span>and built a warehouse with attached<\/span> office space tailored to the workflow<\/span> of the business: marketing, storing,<\/span> assembling, and dispatching. Over the<\/span> next 30 years, the company was sold<\/span> several times, changed its name to On<\/span> Campus Marketing, and broadened<\/span> its offerings: welcome packages with<\/span> first-aid kits, multitools, laundry bags,<\/span> and other dorm essentials; extra-long<\/span> linens for the extra-long twin beds in<\/span> college dorms; comforters and pillows.<\/span> When they signed up the University of<\/span> Alaska they had reached all 50 states. By 2005, when Dumhart left, they were in 900 schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matejka stayed until 2019, just before COVID closed campuses and<\/span> eventually pushed the company into<\/span> foreclosure. The building itself was<\/span> rented out as storage space. \u201cAnd then<\/span> we got the call from Butter, who said,<\/span> \u2018I think I was just in your building,\u2019\u201d<\/span> Matejka says.<\/span><\/p>\n

After he retired in 2018 as CEO of<\/span> NJM Insurance Group, Bernie Flynn<\/span> went to TCNJ to study education,<\/span> envisioning a second career as a<\/span> teacher. \u201cBut once I spent a full<\/span> semester in a second-grade classroom,<\/span> I realized that teaching second grade<\/span> was too hard,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to<\/span> figure out what I was capable of doing,<\/span> and I realized that I was more capable<\/span> of\u00a0being CEO of Mercer Street Friends<\/span> than being a second-grade teacher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Volunteers prepare food bags to be delivered to area food pantries.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So in February 2020, that\u2019s what<\/span> he became, quickly hiring Allen as<\/span> chief operating officer and food bank<\/span> director. \u201cLess than a year into our<\/span> tenure, Butter and I realized that our<\/span> strategy long term had to be for more<\/span> warehouse space that we should<\/span> own so that we could build an asset<\/span> that would serve the community for<\/span> decades to come,\u201d he says. \u201cWe need to<\/span> be here, and we need to be here for the<\/span> long haul.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mercer Street wanted to buy<\/span> Matejka and Dumhart\u2019s building, but<\/span> Matejka and Dumhart didn\u2019t want<\/span> to sell. Although their company had<\/span> been bought and sold several times,<\/span> they still owned the building, and they<\/span> wanted to continue owning it. What<\/span> about a lease? Mercer Street said no.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Mercer Street was facing a<\/span> deadline. The $2 million from the<\/span> state was only available until June 30,<\/span> 2023; it would evaporate if they didn\u2019t<\/span> use it by then. \u201cI was not optimistic,<\/span> but we said, let\u2019s go back to Howie and<\/span> Steve and talk to them,\u201d Flynn says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things were different the second<\/span> time around. \u201cThey started telling us<\/span> their story and what their goals were,\u201d<\/span> says Matejka about Flynn and Allen.<\/span> \u201cAnd all of a sudden we all said, \u2018Let\u2019s<\/span> try to make this thing work.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just came to a meeting of the<\/span> minds,\u201d Dumhart says. His daughter, like Matejka\u2019s, had worked at<\/span> HomeFront, which offers shelter,<\/span> services, and food \u2014 much of it from<\/span> Mercer Street Friends \u2014 to people<\/span> without homes. Their discussions<\/span> became as much about legacy as about <\/span>business \u2014 about four men with deep<\/span> TCNJ ties finding a way to better<\/span> serve the 100,000 people who rely on<\/span> Mercer Street. \u201cThe stars aligned, and<\/span> it all seemed to make sense.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The sale closed on June 2, with just<\/span> four weeks to spare. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting<\/span> that now, 32 years later, a business<\/span> that is different but very similar is<\/span> utilizing the building,\u201d Dumhart says.<\/span> \u201cThe way I designed it you would have<\/span> thought I designed it for Mercer Street<\/span> Friends, because the businesses seem<\/span> so synchronized.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Allen, who was recently named<\/span> to the Board of Trustees of TCNJ, is<\/span> already plotting where everything<\/span> will go when they move the whole<\/span> operation to the new warehouse by<\/span> early spring. \u201cEmpty there,\u201d he says<\/span> about the old building, \u201cand fill here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s optimistic that an extra 7,500<\/span> square feet of warehouse space will<\/span> make a real impact, noting the ability<\/span> to purchase and store additional<\/span> product when special pricing is<\/span> available and room to prep and<\/span> prepare more food bags for schools<\/span> and our community. \u201cIt allows us to<\/span> advance our part in addressing food<\/span> insecurity for Mercer County,\u201d<\/span> he says.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mercer County\u2019s largest food bank has more room to help \u2014 thanks to some chance TCNJ connections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":12474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12472"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12702,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12472\/revisions\/12702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tcnjmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}