N.J. food pantry might close next month as it searches for new home

A New Jersey food pantry’s future is uncertain as it looks for a new home, so it can continue to feed residents of Monmouth County – a need that has increased in recent years.

Leaders hope the Bradley Food Pantry can find a new home either before or after May 17, when it is expected to leave its current space at the St. James Episcopal Church on 4th Avenue in Bradley Beach. The pantry has spent 40 years at the church, said Linda Curtiss, its executive director.

That anticipated shutdown comes while the all-volunteer pantry said it has been overwhelmed with public demand, one that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions of Americans were left to navigate social distancing protocols that limited the U.S. economy, forcing many out of work.

An email to the church from NJ Advance Media for comment was not immediately returned.

With rising consumer prices coupled with inflation, about 500 families have weekly relied upon the pantry to stave off hunger, according to its website.

In 2023, the pantry had 2,753 distinct families visiting for goods, leading the volunteers to shell out more than 850,000 pounds of food, according to the pantry.

“Thousands of families were disadvantaged because of this, but we cannot continue to offer food and hospitality at the current location,” Curtis said in a statement.

The pantry’s leaders have been at odds with the church, saying both have “differing viewpoints” without elaborating. Those differences led the pantry to begin searching for a new space to distribute meals since last August, the pantry said. It has already weighed over 100 locations without making a final decision.

The pantry needs about a 2,000-square-foot space, but finding one under needed zoning laws has been daunting, its leaders say.

In its last weeks at the church, the pantry will operate under an altered schedule – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. But, the limited schedule has placed an unprecedented challenge on the pantry’s ability to serve the community, Curtis said.

The executive director said that despite recent hurdles, she and her team are striving to make the looming closure only temporary.

“The Bradley Food Pantry will not rest until we find a location where we can come back better and stronger than before, ready to help families in need once again,” Curtis said.