Saint Peter's University celebrated the reopening of its campus Food Pantry and Clothes Closet on Tuesday after the original facility closed in 2014 and renovations on a new one began.
Located in the convent at St. Aedan's Church on Bergen Avenue, the new facility is adjacent to The Campus Kitchen at Saint Peter's University and will serve as a hub for community service projects for its students and a valuable resource for the surrounding community.
The new Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, which will be open to students and members of the community, will offer dry goods and clothing to those in need. It will be open the first and third Saturdays of each month from 2 to 4:00 p.m. and the second Wednesday of each month from 4 to 6 p.m.
The opening of the Saint Peter's University Food Pantry and Clothes Closet to the public makes the Jesuit university the only institution in the country to have these facilities along with a campus kitchen.
The Campus Kitchen at Saint Peter's University -- which provides free meals by using donated food that would otherwise go to waste -- has already served more than 36,000 meals for Hudson County residents in need and recovered nearly 40,000 pounds of food.
Volunteers have recently been able to increase productivity thanks to the donation of a state-of-the-art refrigerated van from Fausto Rotundo, a member of the Saint Peter's University Board of Trustees.
"An emphasis on service is what is unique about a Saint Peter's education," Erich Sekel, associate director of campus ministry at Saint Peter's University, said in a statement. "As a Jesuit university, we stress the importance of living as men and women for others. We want our students to see and understand injustice and empower them to improve the world around them."
