Port of Palm Beach Seafarers’ Center
WELCOMING AND CARING FOR SEAFARERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY
90% of everything we use in our daily lives comes to us through the labor of those from 80+ countries who work on the worldwide oceans and United States of America inland waterways. Port of Palm Beach Seafarers’ Center is open throughout the year, offering hospitality and a welcoming place where all those who work at or serve the greater Port of Palm Beach community may find time to connect with our community, their families and friends as well as rest and recharge, and if needed, receive emergency assistance.
Aaron Hoffman Executive Director and crew
About Us
Port of Palm Beach Seafarers’ Center is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer nonprofit charity established to warmly welcome every stranger visiting or working in our port community by offering services that uplift and sustain their personal, physical and spiritual well-being. We offer multi-faith humanitarian outreach rooted in the tradition of hospitality and charitable giving to all who seek it.
Our charity does the following:
- Educates and Communicates
- Serves and Supplies
- Gifts and Gives
- Restores and Renews
- Comforts and Cares
to all those who labor in the shipping industry.
Seafarers are essential to the international and domestic shipping industry. Without land and sea laborers, world trade would cease, ships would be anchored, and our lifestyle would not exist. These tireless, invisible laborers depend upon the kindness of strangers to fill the void of being without their loved ones for months and years at a time. Since 2005 we join the over 200 international and domestic ports who offer a Seafarers’ Mission house. We provide services that meet the needs of mariners and industry laborers by providing a place and people to help meet those personal needs.
Our Mission:
To warmly welcome every stranger and offer caring, humanitarian, multi-faith outreach services to the hard-working, nearly invisible laborers in the maritime industry serving the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, community. We offer a safe retreat from everyday challenges which uplifts and refreshes physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Policy and Objectives:
We seek fellowship with the maritime community and when requested, offer limited mariner center services as:
- Promote awareness of the benefits of our multi-faith, outreach services while respecting the loyalty of those engaged in the maritime industry to their particular faith and traditions
- Compassionate, humanitarian outreach services, and if applicable, advocacy protection against prejudice, intolerance, injustice
- Ship visits upon request of the captain to extend a warm welcome and offer personal assistance and counsel
We fulfill our mission by:
Welcoming
Being a welcoming presence to our friends, visitors, and users to the growing Port of Palm Beach community.
Supporting
Serving and supporting the greater Port of Palm Beach community by providing multicultural, multi-faith outreach services.
Educating
Educating and promoting public awareness about our port and the people (stevedores, truckers, seafarers, vendors, etc…) who make up the port community.
Maintaining
Maintaining and staffing our Seafarer’s Center at the 18th largest port in the nation by volume.
Our Proud Partners:
Tropical Shipping Inc.
GETS Helping Hands
GETS LLC
Our Proud Supporters:
Mrs. Lee Moran and The Moran Family Foundation
Mr. Douglas Stockham and The Richard J and Charlotte Rushton Stockham Advised Fund of The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
Sister Robin Haines Merrill and Christian Cultural Development Foundation
News
International Day of the Seafarer 2025
International Day of the Seafarer 2024
International Day of the Seafarer 2023
Tropical Shipping Company Honors Captain Teddy Zargosa
Day of the Seafarer 2022 and Sea Sunday 2022
Moffatt & Nichol to supply the Port of Palm Beach Seafarers Center
Port of Palm Beach Care Package Drive
Monarch Princess Crew Foosball Tournament
Never Too Early For Christmas At Sea
Seafarer Support Services
- Visit ships for a friendly welcome and help, spiritual services, deliver gifts or check crew members well-being
- Transport for crew while in port on land for shopping, sightseeing, vaccinations, urgent medical care
- Seafarers’ Center in port on land where crew and visitors may relax, recreate, pray in our Chapel, connect to WiFi
- Provide SIM cards to connect with loved ones
- Free clothing, personal supplies, reading materials
- Chaplains available on request to answer questions or just talk
- Connect seafarers to other organizations or speaking to other groups on behalf of seafarers
- Emergency support
- Advocacy, if needed for justice, welfare and family support
How You Can Help
- Knitting
- Bake Sales
-
Coffee Hour
-
Ice Cream or Dessert Socials
-
Purchase Our Note Cards
-
Indoor or Outdoor Events
Contact Us
How You Can Help
Email contact@palmbeachseafarerscenter.org or call Elizabeth (561)707.1731
Transportation and Pack and Ship Packages and Money Transfers and More:
If you need any type of transportation, pack and ship and mail services, money transfers, ship chandler services, SIM Cards, supplies, food or drink or anything else during your visit to our port, call
Bob at GETS Helping Hands
(561) 480.4806 or email: pbseafarers@gmail.com and
email: contact@palmbeachseafarerscenter.org
Chat with a Chaplain
Chaplain Clay Waddell (561) 676.2194
Port Ministry Deacon for the Episcopal Church of Bethesda By The Sea and the Episcopal Diocese of SE Florida and Chaplain for Mission To Seafarers
To email or call for a Chaplain
contact@palmbeachseafarerscenter.org
(561) 480.4806 or (561) 644.6290 or (561) 707.1731
For all other inquiries, please call: Aaron Hoffman Executive Director (561) 644.6290
or
email contact@palmbeachseafarerscenter.org or pbseafarers@gmail.com
or call or (561) 480.4806 or or (561) 707.1731
The Port of Palm Beach Seafarers Center 501(c)3 and our partner GETS Helping Hands 501(c)3 are located at 301 Broadway Avenue, Riviera Beach, Florida 33404 at Building 20 on the southwest side of the port on the westside of Skypass Bridge. You must go through the southern gate to get to the building. GETS Helping Hands is located in Suite 101 at the west end dock loading zone and for Port of Palm Beach Seafarers Center Suite 203 entrance is located on the west end of the building inside the loading dock area.
THE CENTER RECOMMENDS VISITORS WASH HANDS AND KINDLY RESPECT SOCIAL DISTANCE
If you are feeling ill or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID, we ask that you refrain from visiting until after your quarantine period.
Port of Palm Beach Seafarers’ Center is located at:
301 Broadway
Suite 203
Riviera Beach, Florida 33404
The Seafarers’ Center is located in Building 20 on the southwest side of the port on the west of Skypass Bridge. You must go through the southern gate to get to the building. Entrance to the building is located on the west end of the building inside the dockside area.
AT THIS TIME THE CENTER RECOMMENDS VISITORS WEAR MASKS, WASH HANDS AND KINDLY RESPECT SOCIAL DISTANCE
If you are feeling ill or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID, we ask that you refrain from visiting until after your quarantine period.
Calendar
- Christmas At Sea – November 22 2025-January 31 2026
- Human Trafficking Coalition of the Palm Beaches–February 4 2026
- NAMMA Regional Conference – March 4 2025
- Valentine’s Day – February 14 2026
- Ash Wednesday/Lent – February 18 2026
- World Day of Prayer – March 6 2026
- Palm Sunday – March 29 2026
- Holy Week – March 30 2026 to April 4 2026
- Easter at Sea – April 5 2026
- National Day of Prayer – May 7 2026
- National Maritime Day – May 22 2026
- Day of the Seafarer – June 25 2026
- Sea Sunday – July 12 2026
- United States Coast Guard Day – August 4 2026
- World Maritime Day – September 24 2026
- World Communion Sunday – October 4 2026
- Wooly Hat Day – October 4 2026
- Christmas At Sea – November 23 – January 31 2027
- #Giving Tuesday – December 1 2026
- Blessing of the Fleet Holiday Boat Parade – December 5 2026
- Christmas Day – December 25 2026
- New Years Day – January 1 2027
Donate
Your contribution helps us provide uninterrupted humanitarian outreach services to the port community. Please make a contribution today to help us provide a home away from home for all (seafarers, stevedores, truckers, users, etc…), who labor tirelessly on land and sea to brings us the goods and services we are accustomed to.
$5
$10
$50
$250
$500
Other
You can send your donations to mailing address:
Port of Palm Beach Seafarers Center, Inc.
301 Broadway Avenue, Suite 203
Riviera Beach, FL 33404
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