Win Powers sits inside the reverend’s office at the Woodcliff Community Church. Frustrated, he realizes he cannot seem to locate the keys to the church conference room.
A director of 23 years, Powers began volunteering his time giving back to the North Bergen public in 1988. He once left briefly to retire to North Carolina, but notes that he “didn’t stay.”
His former protégé, Jose Sanchez, a director for roughly one year, returns from the nearby Starbucks with a tray of coffees. He is optimistic after speaking with the shop’s management about donating supplies.
Since Powers can’t find the keys, they remain in the cramped office. In a way, their inability to gain access to the spacious conference room is fitting for the discussion that ensues.
“The building has been here for 100 years now. We’re trying to bring it back to life.” – Jose Sanchez
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A staple of the community for 100 years, the church has continually opened its doors to the public, providing goods and services to local residents and families in need. With more people in need than ever, the directors are attempting to get the word out as they strive to find more donators and reach more families in need.
Multiple offerings
For the past five years, the church has partnered with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to supply goods to the community through food drives. The food pantries, held the second and fourth Saturday of the month, were initially attended by 20 families. Today, the church feeds 500 families each event.
“We started in 2008 when we saw a need with the economy,” said Powers. “It started fairly small and has been growing.”
Besides the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the in-house thrift store, headed by Lynn Earley, is the other source of revenue for the food pantries.
The church also recently planned their third annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Earlier this month, the directors distributed 120 turkeys to needy families.
“Every year we get more and more clients,” said Powers, who expected 300 families to be present for the luncheon. Last year, 200 families attended the event.
The church also offers a youth program, which has been ongoing for 20 years. The program takes place Tuesday and Thursday of every week.
“Most of the kids are teenagers from the local area,” said Powers. “The program is very valuable because it really gives them an opportunity to get off the streets.”
Indeed, many of the teenagers are drawn to the programs for the large basketball court a floor below the reverend’s office.
Sanchez noted that many local teenagers often volunteer their time during the bimonthly food pantries.
The church also offers concerts, movie nights, and Sunday school.
Adding job training, literacy
Among ways to help the community, the church is looking to establish development courses, including lessons in English, computer literacy, and job training. The directors are also looking to get more donations and reach more families in need.
A development course program was initially implemented last June, but was discontinued due to a lack of resources. Sanchez and Powers hope to re-implement the program in January.
“We want to create self-sufficiency,” said Sanchez. “We want to give people the tools they need to grow on their own,” said Sanchez, who noted that they are often assisted by their third director, Efrain Evertz.
The response
According to the directors, the appreciation from the community over the years has been overwhelming.
“The community response has been tremendous,” said Powers, adding that people who receive food often shake his hand and offer hugs to show their gratitude.
“They are so appreciative that they have somewhere in their neighborhood that can provide them with food without a whole lot of red tape,” continued Powers. “We just need more resources and more support.”
The Woodcliff Community Church is at 7605 Palisade Ave. Families in need and potential donators can call (201) 869-4555 for information. Jose Sanchez can be reached at (201) 921-8227. Win Powers can be reached at (201) 705-4248.
Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.