St. Mary's and St. Gregory's Pantry Cannot Take Anymore Food or Supplies

St. Gregory's Pantry and St. Mary's By the Sea Episcopal Church in Point Beach are asking the public to no longer donate clothing or supplies so volunteers have time to sort and distribute.

"St. Gregory's Pantry and St. Mary's By the Sea Episcopal Church of Point Pleasant Beach continue to offer a wide range of disaster aid for those impacted by Sandy," said a prepared statement released Sunday. "Anyone in need is welcome, and hundreds are being helped every day.

"Regarding donations, we appreciate the tremendous community response to the needs of our neighbors. However, at this time we kindly request that no further donations of clothing and supplies be brought to the church until our current stock is sorted and distributed. We will alert the public when we are ready to accept donated items once again.

"We will, however, continue to accept gift cards and cash donations to be used by those in need for prescriptions, eyeglasses, sneakers, household items, fuel, change for laundromats, etc.," the statement says.

As of late Monday afternoon, St. Mary's has served or delivered 4,000 hot meals to those impacted by Sandy.

Donations can be mailed to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 804 Bay Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742. Their new phone number is 732-892-8105.

"As a designated disaster aid center, we continue to offer food, used clothing, toiletries and a wide variety of household supplies. Those in need may pick up these items during the following hours:

Monday-Friday: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. (this is a change in weekend hours)

Items available include:

-       Non-perishable and perishable food

-       Cleaning supplies (paper towels, garbage bags, etc.)

-       Personal toiletries

-       Used clothing including jackets and coats

-       New blankets and towels

In addition, storm victims are also invited to enjoy hot meals prepared by our volunteers in the church hall dining area DAILY from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. 

Local delivery of hot meals is also available. Our volunteers just need to know where you are.

Assistance will be offered to all without restrictions. No referrals or FEMA documents will be required and Social Security information will not be requested.

For years, St. Gregory’s has been here for those in need. Our volunteers are working tirelessly to meet our community’s needs. We will be here for the long haul.

If we cannot address your specific need, we will do our best to refer you to the appropriate groups and resources."