NEWARK (NJ)
Star Ledger
July 7, 2019
By Kelly Heyboer
A Bergen County church ministry that collected nearly 300 tons of clothing and household goods each year for the needy in New Jersey and around the world may have been too good at its mission.
Supporters say Catholic Church officials abruptly removed a clothing collection bin at St. Andrew’s Parish in Westwood last month and stripped local control of the charity from parishioners without warning in a move that has sparked a fight within the parish.
“We’ve helped millions of people around the world and they shut it down in a day,” said Greg Ryan, the longtime head of the parish’s Human Concerns Ministry.
Ryan said he arrived at the church recently to find the clothing donation bin in the parking lot, which often had to be emptied daily because of the program’s popularity in the area, had a sign saying it would no longer accept donations.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.