Catholic Charities has implemented the following program changes:
- Food pantries in Burlington, Lakewood, and Trenton continue serving people in need, but staff are distributing pre-packed bags at the door. The food pantries have modified operating hours:
- Mercer Community Services Food Pantry (located at Mount Carmel Guild)
73 North Clinton Avenue Trenton, NJ 08609
Mondays through Fridays 9:30am to 11:30am AND Wednesdays 1:00pm to 3:00pm - Burlington Community Services Food Pantry
450-460 Veterans Drive Burlington NJ 08016
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 9:30am to 11:30am AND 1:30pm to 3:30pm - Ocean Community Services Food Pantry
200 Monmouth Avenue, Lakewood, New Jersey
Mondays through Thursdays 9:00am to 12:00pm
- Mercer Community Services Food Pantry (located at Mount Carmel Guild)
- Group counseling and support groups have conformed to the guidelines set by state and local public-health officials. Clients can directly contact their specific program to learn of specific limitations.
- The free tax preparation offered at 39 N. Clinton Ave., Trenton, is indefinitely suspended.
- Regular CFS office hours are now from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.
- El Centro is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to 12pm. El Centro will be open on Tuesday evenings until 7PM staring July 7.
- Family Growth availability on Saturdays is by appointment only.
- PHDVS office hours are 9:00am to 4:00pm daily, evening hours are available as needed.
- New Choices young adult group was on Thursdays from 6:00PM-7:30PM. It will be moved to 5:00PM-6:30PM effective immediately.
- Project Free evening IOP (Intensive Outpatient) groups were Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5:00PM-8:00PM. They will be moved to 4:00PM-7:00PM effective immediately.
- All trainings by our Human Trafficking team are now being offered virtually. To learn more about these free, monthly trainings, contact Maria Nikolatos at 833-SEE-THEM or [email protected].
- Safety Steps with Surf, a program in which our facility dog Surf visits Monmouth County schools to teach students about safety, is suspended.
Need will grow
Specifically, the need for Catholic Charities and other social services is expected to grow in several ways:
- With many school buildings closed and operating remotely, vulnerable students who rely on schools for breakfast and lunch are home without that critically needed support. Consequently, food pantries are seeing a surge in people who need food assistance – including many individuals and families who are reaching out for help for the first time ever.
- As this crisis impacts the economy, many people have lost their jobs or experienced pay cuts. This especially impacts people in low-wage jobs. Consequently, the number of people who need basic-needs services such as rental and employment assistance has skyrocketed since the spring.
Donations welcomed
Because the need for basic-need services is expected to rise, Catholic Charities welcomes donations of money and gift cards to help us continue to serve people in need through this crisis. To give, click here.
Clothing donations are suspended at Community Services until further notice. But people can still donate clothing at Catholic Charities’ publicly accessible clothing bins. Locations:
- Barnegat: St. Mary’s, 747 West Bay Avenue
- Bay Head: Sacred Heart, 751 Main Avenue
- Burlington: Burlington Community Services, 450-460 Veterans Boulevard
- Freehold: St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road
- Howell: St. Veronica, 4215 U.S. Highway 9
- Howell: St. William the Abbot, 2740 Lakewood Allenwood Road
- Lakehurst: St. John, 619 Chestnut Street
- Lakewood:Ocean Community Services, 200 Monmouth Avenue
- Manahawkin: St. Mary of the Pines, 100 Bishop Way
- Point Pleasant: The Church of St. Martha, 3800 Herbertsville Road
- Tinton Falls: Linkages Program, 4261 NJ-33
- Toms River: St. Joseph, 685 Hooper Avenue
- Trenton: Central Administrative Services (CAS), 383 West State Street
- Trenton: Mercer Behavioral Health Services, 39 North Clinton Avenue
- Westampton: Providence House Domestic Violence Services, 595 Rancocas Road
- Whiting: Providence House Domestic Violence Services, 88 Schoolhouse Road
To find the closest donation bin site, please allow your location to be used. You can also type your address in the box below.
Specify how far are you willing to drive from the menu and click “Search”.
Click on the closest donation bin site on the map and then click on “Get directions” to navigate there.
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Download and print information on our Clothing Donation Bins locations.