Our Story
What is the story we can tell of Gateway’s birth? It began five years ago when the leadership of the First Presbyterian Church saw the close of a nonprofit nursery school it housed in two ground floor rooms for over 50 years. They decided the space would be dedicated to hands-on mission programs for the local community. For two years they consulted with town and county officials to learn what were the most pressing needs.
From among the many presented, they chose to first focus upon hunger alleviation, and within short time organized a 501(c)(3) non-profit as the Loaves & Fishes Community Food Pantry, opening its doors in 2019.
Joined by the Boonton United Methodist Church and supported in most encouraging fashion by food banks, grocery chains, farmers’ markets, foundations and individual donors, the new venture found its way successfully through COVID-19 pandemic limitations. Three years later it serves some 125 households weekly with the help of over 100 volunteers.
But that was just the beginning; because they were other needs to attack as the study had revealed in 2018. Thus a dozen volunteers were commissioned by the L&F Board of Directors to create Phase II. With the resource of the second classroom the Generation Team envisioned a multi-purposed space that would stage all manner of helpful, educational and enriching programs. These would be presented by existing non-profit organizations, with free use of the room and no fee to program participants. Additionally, the Generation Team decided local small businesses could use the facility for a suggested contribution through Loaves & Fishes.
Joined by the Boonton United Methodist Church and supported in most encouraging fashion by food banks, grocery chains, farmers’ markets, foundations and individual donors, the new venture found its way successfully through COVID-19 pandemic limitations. Three years later it serves some 125 households weekly with the help of over 100 volunteers.
But that was just the beginning; because they were other needs to attack as the study had revealed in 2018. Thus a dozen volunteers were commissioned by the L&F Board of Directors to create Phase II. With the resource of the second classroom the Generation Team envisioned a multi-purposed space that would stage all manner of helpful, educational and enriching programs. These would be presented by existing non-profit organizations, with free use of the room and no fee to program participants. Additionally, the Generation Team decided local small businesses could use the facility for a suggested contribution through Loaves & Fishes.
Contact Info
Address:
513 Birch Street, Boonton, NJ 07005
Phone:
(973) 404-0222
Email:
info@gcrcnj.org