Politics & Government

Brick PAL, Food Relief Volunteers Reach Pact

Food relief group will be allowed to remain at PAL building

A group offering free hot meals to Superstorm Sandy victims will continue to base their relief effort at the Brick Police Athletic League building on Drum Point Road.

Operation Brick Food Relief has been providing Sandy victims with meals ever since the storm hit. The daily meals have continued to draw people ever since, often those who cannot live in their homes and have no other meal option besides costly dinners out at restaurants.

The Brick PAL organization notified the group last week that it had to be out of the building by Nov. 23 so normal PAL programs could resume, but the PAL faced an immense backlash at the Nov. 20 Brick Township council meeting. There, council members excoriated the PAL for asking the food relief group to leave and sent a letter to the PAL asking it to reconsider. There was also talk of legal action, since the township owns the PAL building.

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But Operation Brick Food Relief announced this weekend that its relief effort would continue after an agreement was reached with the PAL.

"Operation Brick Food Relief is happy to announce that we are partnering with the Brick PAL to continue serving meals at the PAL building, 60 Drum Point Road, Brick," the group posted on its Facebook page.

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Operation Brick Food Relief thanked the PAL board, Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis, the township council, as well as town employees and volunteers, for helping the relief effort to continue.

Effective Monday, the group will serve meals from 12 noon to 5 p.m. daily. Those hours will allow the meals service to continue as well as the PAL's programs, said a joint statement by the OBFR directors, Amy LaBianca, Hope VanSickle and Steve LaBianca.

Township of Brick officials will also be on hand during the food service hours to take information from all residents affected by Sandy.

"The goal is to obtain information to determine each person's needs in an effort to help provide resources and necessary information to assist in the rebuild," the directors said in their statement.

OBFR is also continuing to seek volunteers to assist serve food during the day, but especially at 5 p.m. to clean up and break down the room to get it ready for the PAL's night classes. The group can be contacted at operationbrickfoodrelief@gmail.com.


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