The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries

The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries is a joint effort by 13 Faith Communities to serve people within our area. The major parts of the services offered by the GWCM are through our two Food Pantries and clothing distribution center, Jeanette’s Closet.

Clients in need of assistance that come to the Pantries are given a standard assortment of grocery items according to the size of their family, plus fresh fruits and vegetables and special treats. Clothing and linens are offered free of charge at Jeanette’s Closet. In addition to the emergency food and clothing provided, we offer guidance to clients in accessing government and other community assistance

GWCM was founded to enable social ministries beyond the resources of any one faith community. We are an all-volunteer, IRS registered 501(c)(3), not-for-profit charity, serving Woodbury and the surrounding NJ communities., and is associated with the Food Bank of South Jersey. The member churches include: Bethlehem Baptist, Central Baptist, Christ Episcopal, Kemble Memorial United Methodist, Holy Angels Parish Roman Catholic, Hope Christian Fellowship, St. Stephen’s Lutheran, Presbyterian Church at Woodbury, Seventh-Day Adventist, Colonial Manor United Methodist, Woodbury Friends Meeting, First Presbyterian Church of Woodbury Hts, and Holy Nativity Lutheran.

Besides our ongoing food pantries and clothing center, the GWCM has been involved in a number of other community projects over the years, including ecumenical worship services, Children’s Summer Lunch Box program, Vacation Bible School, and a Handy Helpers program to assist seniors and the disabled with household chores.

GWCM was formed in 1997 by eight local churches. The food pantry program of GWCM was an outgrowth of separate efforts by each church to give non-perishable food to those in need. The Colonial Manor United Methodist Church hosted our first jointly supplied pantry open to the public, which provided emergency food aid to community families on the weekend when both governmental and other voluntary organizations are closed.

GWCM opened its own food pantry in 2002, located in the center of Woodbury on North Broad Street on the Friends Meeting property (in the SODAT building), distributing food on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Though in very tight basement quarters, this site quickly became the main food pantry as the number of families served increased. Also provided from this location were clothing and household items, through an effort called Jeanette’s Closet.

In 2007, the construction of the County Justice Complex adjacent to the Friends/SODAT property, forced GWCM to find a new location. God provided the solution when the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Barber and Evergreen Avenues on the east side of Woodbury, offered their ground floor for our use. This is now GWCM’s Main Food Pantry and includes office space, a packing room, a room for food storage, a large room for assembling client cartloads and specialty food offerings, and an extensive parking lot. This location is served by 2 NJ Transit bus routes.

Jeanette’s Closet continued to operate in the Friends/SODAT property until it was flooded a number of times. It was shut down for years, until the Central Baptist Church agreed to provide space in their church school wing on Jackson Street in the West End section of Woodbury. Jeanette’s Closet reopened in 2021 (amidst Covid) following a year of effort to bring the non-damaged remains from the old location. Help was provided by the Boy Scouts.

Hours and Locations

Main Pantry: Tue and Thur 9:00 – 11:00 AM; Colonial Manor Pantry: Sat only 9:30 – 11:00 AM

Jeanette’s Closet: Tue only 9:30 – 11:30 AM