Visitation Relief Center In Brick Abruptly Closes Its Doors

BRICK, NJ — Visitation Relief Center, which has provided aid to thousands of Ocean County residents in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, has been shut down.

The announcement of the closure came via a post Sunday afternoon on the center's Facebook page, in response to a question posted publicly, and said simply: "We are closed until further notice."

Messages left for Visitation Relief Center staff seeking further explanation were not immediately returned.

Visitation Relief Center grew out of efforts to help the thousands of Jersey Shore residents whose homes were damaged and destroyed when Superstorm Sandy hit on Oct. 29, 2012. Clothing, relief supplies and more were delivered by the truckload to Visitation Roman Catholic Church on Mantoloking Road, and quickly the amount of materials coming in and the number of people who needed assistance outstripped the space available on the church's property.

The center formalized its efforts in February 2013, and in concert with Catholic Charities, it continued to focus on aiding Brick residents with services geared toward recovery, rebuilding and restoration of normal day-to-day living, but it slowly changed. In 2015, the center expanded its assistance to low-income and homeless citizens from the Ocean and Monmouth county areas and moved into the old farm market building that fronts on Mantoloking Road, just down the street from the church, giving it more room to hold goods and provide services, which have been praised repeatedly by township officials and others.

The center's efforts were cited when the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen opened in Toms River last spring, and the center and its volunteers received a Brick Hero award in 2014 during the inaugural awards ceremony.

"Its daily function gave families a means of ensuring they had food on their tables every month," volunteers with the center said. It also provided services to help those in need find financial assistance, employment and other support.

The reasons for the closure were not immediately known. A Facebook group called "Save the Visitation Relief Center" has sprung up and has nearly 700 members, but it is a private group. Its description says problems have arisen with the building, but it does not specify the issues involved.

The decision to shut down the center was made by church leadership, according to church members. A phone call to church offices was not immediately returned.

The center moved into the building, which had been the Mantoloking Marketplace and prior to that had been a farm/produce market, in February 2013.

"It would be a devastating loss to this community if these doors closed forever," a post by a volunteer that was shared with the Patch said.

Visitation Relief Center, via Google Maps