Meet Dominic Mercado

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dominic Mercado. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dominic , we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

My generosity comes from my continued support for my community through extensive community service. I have learned to love helping my community and giving back in any way shape or form. Being able to see the happy faces of people after I help them is one of the most fulfilling feelings out there, and it makes me want to help even more people.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

From a young age my parents have always taught me that giving back to those in need is very Important. When I was young I started my volunteer service through the Vineland Soup Kitchen, also known as Spirit and Truth Ministries. I helped make meal bags and serve at special dinners. Through the years as my love for community service grew I knew that I needed to step up my role in supporting the Vineland Soup Kitchen. I did this when I founded Dom’s Pasta Party in 2020. The idea behind it was to forgo my annual birthday celebration due to Covid-19, and instead hold a “Pasta Party” food drive for the Vineland Soup Kitchen. This allowed me to still see my friends and family, but also benefit my community in a time where they really needed it. My first year gained significant traction due to Governor Murphy mentioning it in one of his daily press briefing’s during COVID. Our first year we raised around one thousand dollars and collected three SUV’s full of food. This success was amazing, and ultimately encouraged me to continue with Dom’s Pasta Party the following year, and the next year, and so on. The second year we raised around five thousand dollars-via a new GoFundMe- and collected equally as much food; but this year it was enough to fill an entire box truck. Each year we have had the goal to do better than the year before. Now annually, we are raising around 10,000 dollars each year and thousands of pounds of food. This is enough to provide enough pasta and sauce for an entire years worth of Friday pasta dinners, and if we don’t collect enough food for it to last, they can always buy more with the money we raise for them. Over the past 5 years we have raised well over 70 thousand dollars for the Vineland Soup Kitchen, and tens of thousands of pounds of food. This year I can’t wait to see what we bring in for the Soup Kitchen on April 19th. If anyone wants to come and support us on April 19th we will be collecting donations from 8:00 am to 5:00pm at 942 E Grant Ave in Vineland New Jersey.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three skills that were most impactful in my Journey are leadership, determination, and compassion. I chose these traits because Dom’s Pasta Party stemmed from the compassion I had for my community during one of the hardest times world wide- Covid-19. I used leadership skills that I have gained through my schooling to help lead Dom’s Pasta Party. This involves coordinating with the Vineland Soup Kitchen, volunteers, and planning of the event. I have had the determination to keep Dom’s Pasta Party going year after year. Not only to keep it going, but to keep it thriving, and having a greater impact every year.

Advice that I would give for people who want to start their own volunteering journey is simple. Create a simple idea that can have great impact on your community. To do something big and successful, the idea does not need to be elaborate, it can be as simple as pasta and sauce. The idea of Pasta and Sauce was simple, and not complicated. Less is more. This simple Idea that I had in 2020 has had a strong and lasting impact on my community.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

We are looking for people to come out and donate to Dom’s Pasta Party this year. If you are looking to be more generous this year this is a perfect opportunity just in time for Easter. Even if you can’t make it out the day of, if you are feeling generous please donate using our GoFundMe. Here is the link, https://gofund.me/3f35a83d

Contact Info:

• Instagram: domspastaparty
• Other: GoFundMe
  https://gofund.me/3f35a83d