St. Joseph's Church In Toms River To Break Ground For New Food Pantry

TOMS RIVER, NJ — At St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, serving the community has long been a focus of its ministry.

On Wednesday, the parish will break ground on a building that will enable it to improve its abilities to do just that: a 1,700-square-foot food pantry to help the hungry in the community.

“Since my arrival in 2012 and Superstorm Sandy in October of that year, the need for this service has exponentially increased," Father Scott Shaffer, St. Joseph's pastor, said. "Establishing an accessible location for the pantry has been a priority.”

The food pantry is located in the basement of the church's parish offices and is open 30 hours a week, currently serving more than 600 families a month, church officials said.

"It plays a vital role in the lives of those who are dependent on the panty to supplement their food needs," officials said.

But the space in the basement is too small, they said. The cramped space and the need for safe access to the pantry has prompted the parish to relocate its operations.

Pledges and gifts to the parish’s capital campaign known as "Together in Faith" have provided the initial funds for the building project to commence," the church said in a news release about the groundbreaking.

The new pantry would be built on the site of an existing garage building on the parish property, adjacent to the church building. It will provide increased storage and distribution capacity and full handicap access, the news release said. The project also includes additional parking, including additional handicap spaces.

The groundbreaking ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church property on Hooper Avenue in Toms River.

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, via Google Maps