Community Corner

Tuesdays Are the Busiest Days at a Holmdel Food Pantry

Not unusual for a line to form outside the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Benedict Church in Holmdel.

It is a well known secret that Tuesday is the best day to go to the Food Pantry at St. Benedict Church, at 165 Bethany Rd.  That is because it is closed on Mondays, for restocking. 

Families down on their luck from places like Holmdel, Hazlet, Union Beach, Keansburg and Keyport will use their twice-a-month opportunity to wait in lines outside the rectory building located on the side of the parking lot. The only indication it is there is a  small "Food Pantry" sign. On Tuesdays, it is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and again from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

On Wednesdays, Thursdays and  Fridays, it is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number is (732) 264-4712 x 33. 

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Last week, I put my notebook down and volunteered a few hours at the pantry, as part of our company-wide "Give 5" commitment to volunteer five hours each quarter in our communities. I was invited to roll my sleeves up by my friend, Patti Dickens, co-president with Robert Lalor, of the St. Vincent de Paul Society organization overseeing the pantry. Dickens also runs the hugely successful RAINE charitable organization active in Hazlet schools, which she hopes to expand more significantly in Holmdel schools in the future.

I was handed a clipboard and pen, and instructed to ask the people coming in which "extras" they would like. I had offerings like a dozen eggs, Parmalat milk, quick oatmeal, decaffeinated coffee, hot chocolate, pancake mix syrup, peanut butter, grape jelly, and a choice of just one meat: chicken, pork patties or roast beef.  I could also offer diapers and wipes. 

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It was Thursday, and the customers flowed in as if through a revolving door. They were greeted by volunteer  Janine Pugh, and asked to sign in at the desk, a requirement by the state and federal organizations which contribute food. (The pantry also receives a great amount of food from local businesses.)  Immediately a volunteer filled a small shopping cart with two heavy prepackaged bags full of canned vegetables, soups, pasta, and other cabinet staples. I took their order and went to the back to quickly fill the bags of "extras" while the customer picked out their breads. (Supermarket varieties, as well as bakery loaves from local bakeries.)

The pace in the pantry is very swift, because the waiting room space is small and the volunteers effort to keep their customers moving through to avoid crowding. 

As they browsed, the customers talked freely about their situations to the compassionate staff, who they have come to know. Unemployment, a laid-off spouse, divorce, illness and babies are common themes. The staff urged a woman who said she had gynecological problems but no insurance to go to the emergency room. Pantry manager John Brennan set her up with an appointment to see a social worker. 

Another customer said shyly that it was her first visit. Her husband, a construction worker, had been out of work for a long time and her salary as a bus driver just wasn't going far enough to feed the family. As she packed the grocery bags into her car, Dickens told her about a job opening at the church her husband might qualify for.

Nobody pays to come to the pantry, and nobody is paid to work there either. But on the day I visited, the pantry buzzed with volunteers working in shifts. Some are in between jobs, some are doing community service, and some are recipients trying to pay it forward.  

Volunteer opportunities are available for adults and children over 12. If you are interested in helping, you can call St. Benedict Parish Office at (732) 264-4712 to speak with Parish Administrator Cathy Warshaw.

Some opportunities are: 

  • Food Donations by local businesses
  • Food 4 Families: prepare a hot meal on Monday for four people
  • Support: 2 hours in the pantry to accept meals and call families
  • Two hours in the pantry to provide meals and groceries
  • Delivery of meals to those who don't have transportation


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