Red Bank's Comfort Warming Center Launches Wish List Drive

RED BANK, NJ - In conjunction with JBJ Soul Foundation and Pilgrim Baptist Church, Red Bank’s Hope & Comfort Warming Center recently launched a charity wish list drive to provide essential personal items to Monmouth County residents in need during below-freezing nights.

The Warming Center, located at 166-168 Shrewsbury Avenue, operates during Code Blue enforcement, defined as when temperatures drop below freezing in the region between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. on a given day. The nonprofit provides homeless locals in Monmouth County with overnight services and connection to community resources during frigid nights.

Warming Center guests are eligible to receive hot food, warm cots, hot showers and access to a washer and dryer, according to a news release. Nearby JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant also offers free meals Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., as well as Sundays from 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. To keep guests warm and comfortable, the nonprofit is seeking care items such as cargo pants, socks, hats, face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.

“Your donation through our Amazon Wish List will further our mission of providing men in-need with temporary shelter, safety, food and community-based resources in a safe environment, on the coldest winter days,” the JBJ Soul Foundation said in a statement. “Last winter, the JBJ & PBC Hope and Comfort Warming Center helped over 290 men and this winter we are preparing for even more due to the COVID-19 crises.”

To view the wish list, click here.

During the 2019-2020 winter season, the Warming Center was open during 27 Code Blue nights. The facility provided shelter for 291 men, an average of 10 to 11 for each Code Blue night. The number of guests increased by a total of 11 percent from the previous winter, according to the news release.

Given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it is expected that the statistics will rise again this season.

“We are so grateful to be able to support those without a place to call home, especially during this particularly challenging year we have all had,” said Heather Goldfarb, Executive Director of the JBJ Soul Foundation. She continued, “it is through these generous donations through our Amazon Smile Wish List that we can provide a safe haven during the cold winter months.”

Additional information on the Warming Center and a full schedule of services during Code Blue events can be accessed by contacting the hotline at (848) 260-9076.

Additional resources can be found by visiting the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office at https://www.mcsonj.org/code-blue.