From Staff Reports

All are invited to celebrate the official opening of the community outreach center known as Seeds of Service from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at 725 Mantoloking Road, Brick.

A blessing at 3 p.m. will be followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the organization’s new signage and open house tours of the new facility.

Seeds of Service is the successor organization to the services provided through Visitation Relief Center, which opened in 2012 to respond to the local needs of residents after Superstorm Sandy.  

Over the years, these services grew in order to meet the needs of thousands of families and individuals in the community through efforts such as a food pantry and outreach programs, and had established partnerships with nonprofit, business and faith-based organizations, including Catholic Charities and the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, to advocate for those still in need after the storm.

In October 2016, the Visitation Relief Center building closed its doors due to building code deficiencies. Since that closing and with a similar mission in mind, the nonprofit Seeds of Service was created and has applied for 501(c)(3) status; it opened its doors unofficially over the summer.

S.O.S. states its mission as “to support God’s love in action by bringing youth and young adults together with opportunities to serve, advocate, and care for those faced with adversity.”

It strives to improve the process of receiving assistance and increasing access to federal and local resources for clients in times of need by offering volunteers who greet families and provide a description of the relief, recovery, referral and rebuilding services offered by the organization.

For more information on Seeds of Service, or to become a community partner, contact [email protected], or 732-746-3456.