Friday, October 16, 2026
1:00 – 4:00 PM
TopGolf Mount Laurel
104 Centerton Rd, Mt Laurel Township, NJ 08054
WHY DRIVE OUT HUNGER
As cuts to federal benefits cuts, inflation, and rising costs, families are being forced into impossible choices: pay the rent, cover basic needs, or put food on the table – including school lunches for their children.
The United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) unites people and resources to build a stronger, more connected community. In this moment, when so many households are stretched to the breaking point, we are intensifying our focus on food security.
This fall, we will launch the inaugural Drive Out Hunger event, a new UWGMC initiative that builds on the impact of the original Strike Out Hunger campaign, featuring a golf clinic to raise funds to help eliminate school meal debt and provide meal assistance for children whose families are facing financial hardship but do not qualify for free or reduced-price school meal programs and grocery prices continue to rise, the daily cost of meals has become even more challenging for already burdened families.
For many students, school breakfast and lunch are more than just meals. They are a vital source of nutrition, stability, and opportunity. When children have reliable access to healthy meals, they are better prepared to focus, learn, and thrive both inside and outside the classroom.
WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS
By joining Drive Out Hunger, you will make a tangible and meaningful difference in the lives of local families who are being forced to choose between essentials and ensure that no child is denied access to a nutritious meal because of financial circumstances beyond their family’s control. Your support will help ensure children have access to the school lunches they need and will strengthen our community’s response to food insecurity in our own backyard.
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DESIGNATED FUND RECIPIENT
Princeton Nursery School
Princeton Nursery School serves approximately 48 preschool students during its preschool program and approximately 20 children through its summer camp, including children from low- and moderate-income households. The school reports that approximately 65–75% of participating children qualify for free lunch, demonstrating a significant level of economic need among the families PNS serves. However, the need extends beyond those who qualify for free meals. Approximately 25% of families who pay for lunch are also struggling to make ends meet. These families earn too much to qualify for free or subsidized meals, but that does not mean they have the financial resources to comfortably absorb the cost of feeding their children. This is an important food insecurity gap.
A family can be working, paying rent or a mortgage, managing childcare and transportation costs, and still struggle to consistently afford nutritious meals. Because they do not meet the income threshold for assistance, these families can easily fall between the cracks.
Princeton Nursery School provides an important early-childhood setting where food assistance can have an immediate and meaningful impact.
Providing meals at school and summer camp means children can:
- Start the day ready to learn and participate.
- Receive consistent access to nutritious food.
- Avoid the stigma that can accompany traditional food assistance.
- Benefit from a reliable source of meals while their parents work.
- Participate fully in preschool and summer programming without food being an additional financial burden on their families.
Drive Out Hunger (DOH) is a community golf clinic experience designed for participants of all skill levels. The event will provide a fun, educational, and engaging environment while raising critical funds to support support school lunch assistance programs throughout Mercer County.
Funds raised through Drive Out Hunger will help UWGMC:
- Provide school lunch subsidies for families experiencing financial hardship.
- Expand weekend food access by partnering with Mercer Street Friends Food Bank through its Send Hunger Packing program.
- Reduce the burden of food costs for families balancing groceries, housing, transportation, utilities and other essential expenses.
Drive Out Hunger:
- Offers companies and organizations a powerful, team-building way to sponsor, volunteer, and show visible leadership on food insecurity.
- Engages individuals who want to give, volunteer, or participate in the event and see their impact close to home.
- Welcomes community groups, faith communities, and civic clubs to organize teams, collect food, and raise funds together.
- Engage our community in hunger relief by bringing businesses, individuals, volunteers and advocates together around a shared commitment to food access.
- Strengthen a comprehensive hunger-relief strategy that complements UWGMC’s other food-access efforts, including fresh produce distribution, non-perishable food collection, food pantry delivery, culturally relevant food resources, and programs connecting residents with supplemental income and benefits.
Your participation and support will make a local impact by helping ensure children have the meals they need to learn, grow, and succeed.
Event Features:
Golf Clinic Rotations: Participate in engaging educational stations designed to help you learn or hone your golf skills, regardless of your experience level.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow professionals, community leaders, and local organizations while coming together for a meaningful cause.
A Hands-On Volunteer Opportunity: Participants will be invited to pack bags of nutritious snacks for students to take home over the weekend.
Food & Refreshments: Enjoy food and refreshments throughout the event. A cash bar will also be available.
While the event name and format are changing, the overall mission remains the same -ensure that every child has access to the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and succeed—one meal, one student, and one family at a time.
The new name better reflects the event’s focus as a corporate engagement and volunteerism initiative.
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- Strike Out Hunger focused on supporting summer meal programs.
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- Drive Out Hunger will focus on reducing school lunch costs and addressing school lunch debt for local families.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
