Fridays and Saturdays During Winter
For Immediate Release: December 2, 2013
Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Contacts:
Ann Bagchi, Co-Coordinator– 201-303-6101
Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Sandra Whitehill, Co-Coordinator – 732-863-7395
Reverend Ricky Pierce – 732-462-2097
The Sanctuary Program, which provides breakfast and lunch for the homeless, working poor, families, and immigrant laborers during the cold winter months, will celebrate its 10th anniversary of service to the community when it opens its doors on Saturday December 14 at the First United Methodist Church at 91 West Main Street in Freehold.
Every Saturday, through March 15, 2014, the program will offer breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. [noon]. Breakfast will be offered every Friday at the Methodist Church beginning December 20 and ending on March 14, 2014 from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
“It is hard to believe that 10 years have passed since we served our first meal,” said Ann Bagchi, an original volunteer and now co-coordinator of the program. “It has been gratifying to serve thousands of meals over the years but one constant remains the same and that is the need in the community. There are still many people out there uncertain about when and where they will have their next meal.”
Finances are a bit of a challenge this year because donations have declined recently as a result of the economic recession, said Sandra Whitehill, co-coordinator of the program. “Our greatest expenses are for insurance to provide coverage to the churches from which we run the program and incidental costs for paper goods and coffee, items that are generally not available in food pantries,” noted Whitehill, who supervises the all-volunteer staff.
The Sanctuary Program was founded in 2003 by the Latino Coalition and the New Beginnings Agape Christian Center. It has since blossomed into a collaborative effort that includes participation by the First United Methodist Church, the First Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Church, all of Freehold.
Financial sponsors include the Latino Coalition, the I Beseech Thee Community Development Corporation, and the Graeme Preston Foundation for Life. Food donations are provided by Battleview Orchards, Dunkin Donuts, Starbuck’s, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Wegmans’s and Wawa.
In addition to meals, the Sanctuary Program provides visitors with blood pressure screenings and HIV-AIDS testing and a variety of speakers that provide community information on a wide range of topics from tax preparation, immigration, and healthcare registration assistance.
Contributions to the Sanctuary Program should be sent to Reverend Ricky Pierce, executive director of the I Beseech Thee Community Development Corporation, 133 Throckmorton Street, Freehold, New Jersey 07728.
