St. Gregory’s Pantry

St. Gregory's Pantry 
804 Bay Avenue,
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
Telephone No. 732 892 8105
Email: stgregspantry@verizon.net

Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 12 noon

St. Gregory’s Pantry, housed in St. Mary’s by the Sea, is an ecumenical, community based, non-profit emergency food bank serving the greater Point Pleasant area. Approximately twenty five years ago, a local resident stopped at the church and asked the parishioner present if she could borrow some food, as her support check would not come for several days and she had nothing to eat until then. She promised to replace the food the next week. The parishioner went home and returned with a variety of canned goods. Upon mentioning this to the rector at the time (Father Bower), a storage closet was cleaned out and shelves installed. Those in need were encouraged to take food, making donations if and when they could. Today, supported by twelve area churches, St. Gregory’s annually provides more than 2,000 persons each with several days of emergency food. While “walk-ins” are accepted, most clients are referred by Social Service agencies, churches, and local schools. To accomplish this monumental task, the Pantry is open five mornings per week and is staffed by an ecumenical group of volunteers. The office, pantry and storage space, as well as utilities, are provided entirely by St. Mary’s. In addition to the aforementioned service, the Pantry distributes more than 250 family-sized holiday dinners each at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, along with Easter baskets, warm outerwear, and Christmas gifts at appropriate seasons. St. Gregory’s sponsors monthly Friendship Dinners, an annual Thanksgiving Dinner, and annual Open House Celebrations at Christmas and New Years.