Mercy Center In Asbury Park Feeds The Hungry, Clothes The Needy

ASBURY PARK, NJ — To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the expanded food pantry at the Mercy Center in Asbury Park, elected officials, Mercy Center board members staff and volunteers gathered on Valentine’s Day morning to highlight Mercy Center’s major milestones of 2022.

Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who is now the Mercy Center’s executive director, told the crowd that the nonprofit fed more than 35,000 people in 2022, significantly up from 1,558 people served the year before.

The Mercy Center is a food bank serving Asbury Park and the greater Monmouth County area.

“Our numbers show that our neighbors are still struggling, and that Mercy Center’s Expanded Food Pantry is critical in our community," said Guadagno. "And as we celebrate Black History Month, it is fitting that Mercy Center publicly recognizes the inequities in our community and continues to improve the experience for those we serve."

The Mercy Center added new refrigerators and shelving last year and increased the variety of ffoods, including more meats, dairy, and fresh produce. Handicapped ramps were also added to the Food Pantry last year "making it fully accessible to all,” added Guadagno.

Immediately following the words outside at the podium, the “Food is Love” Food and Clothing Distribution was held. Neighborhood families “shopped” for groceries in the pantry and were given special Valentine’s Day bags filled with chocolates. Across the street, a warehouse was filled with clothing, shoes, and coats for them to choose from for all members of the family.

“I feel like this is amazing. It’s very, very helpful. I’m having my third child in April," said Jasmine Thornton of Asbury Park, picking out baby booties.

“It is critically important to serve women, children and families ... and to serve the migrants. We had a gentleman in this bitter cold come to us in shorts and flip flops recently, and it is our mission to help people like that who truly need it,” said New Jersey Supreme Court Appellate Judge Mary Catherine Cuff, Mercy Center Board Chair. "There were people in t-shirts and shorts waiting online today as well in 40-degree temperatures."

In addition to the food pantry, Mercy Center also runs a Catholic girls' school in Asbury Park. The Mercy Center’s Sisters Academy of New Jersey is a tuition-free middle school for underserved girls grades four through eight. It provides an education of excellence, life skills, and the necessary tools to become confident, self-sufficient, and successful in competitive high schools.

To learn more about Mercy Center or to donate, visit www.mercycenternj.org.