The Hoboken Community Center has purchased their future food pantry site at 122 Adams St. and is seeking to raise $2 million to complete the design and construction.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The pantry, currently located at 1301 Washington St., serves more than 2,400 households with supplemental food, hygiene and pet supplies.
In the weeks ahead, the HCC will demolish the existing structure, clean, and fence off the site, while plans proceed to design and build a new pantry. Donations to the effort can be made here.
“What grew into an urgently needed lifeline for so many during the pandemic will soon have a permanent home in a space designed to better serve our community,” HCC Board Secretary Toni Tomarrazzo said in a statement.
“Everyone is entitled to basic necessities like those our Pantry provides, and we look forward to enhancing our offerings in a new space. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and elected leaders who helped to make this happen.”
The relocation of the pantry from its temporary location at 1301 Washington St. is also necessary to allow the HCC to undergo a full renovation to revitalize the former YMCA into a community space for all ages for recreational, cultural, and educational programming.
An email inquiry seeking details of the building sale was not returned.
Additionally, he new pantry will feature a customer choice program allowing clients to select the food and products they need for their home. There will be scheduled appointment times for services during regular business hours.
The Hoboken Community Center Pantry was originally opened in the organization’s current space as a small operation in 2019 to address food insecurity among the men in the HCC’s Affordable Housing program.
During the pandemic, it quickly grew to meet the needs of the community with biweekly distributions of fresh and non-perishable groceries and non-food items such as diapers, toiletries, and menstrual products to anyone in need.
The pantry serves over 2,400 registered households, including over 1,500 with children and nearly 900 seniors, and distributes more than 850 bags of food each month. They are also a member agency of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.