By WILLIAM CLARK
The Bradley Food Pantry in Bradley Beach is closing its doors on Fourth Avenue on May 17.
The decision was made following some complaints received from the property owner about patrons waiting in line for food.
Mayor Larry Fox said that about 10 families on Fourth Avenue were pressuring the pantry, complaining of people lining up early to receive assistance from the organization. St. James Episcopal Church, which allows the pantry to operate on its property, asked Director Linda Curtiss to pare down the offerings from five days a week to three before ultimately demanding that the volunteer driven organization only open its doors for just a single day.
Over 175 volunteers work throughout the week to make sure that over 700 food insecure people are able to be adequately fed, the mayor said.
“The whole situation is abhorrent,” Fox said. “Shame on anybody who has part in the demise of this 40-year institution of Bradley Beach.”
Fox said that last year a petition circulated on the block regarding issues that residents observed in people that would line up in the early hours to receive food.
In a letter the church sent to Curtiss, the church said, “There is often shouting among the people who gather. There have been incidents of public urination. Neighborhood children on their way to school face inappropriate, at times aggressive, comments.”
Curtiss said days and hours of operation were limited at the church’s request but that contributed to issues with crowds. With fewer opportunities to access the pantry, more people had to utilize it during the times it was available.
Curtiss also rebutted the concept that the complaints were what led to the most recent decision.
“These behaviors are very old,” she said. “Two, three years old. It’s not fair to the people that come to us.”
The church also said that groups that use the facility are unable to anymore due to the increased demand on the pantry, in addition to damage to the building that has occurred in higher trafficked areas of the building.
The pantry staff also made sure residents’ driveways were not blocked in the area. In addition a lottery system was also set up so that it was no longer first come, first serve.
“We were very successful at methods to make sure no driveways were blocked,” Curtiss said.
The church pointed to the limitations that being set up in a residential neighborhood brings.
“The infrastructure now in place was intended to support a small church feeding ministry, not a large nonprofit,” the letter said. “Most church feeding programs operate for only one day a week, occasionally two, for very limited hours. Those in residential neighborhoods operate much less frequently.”
The decision baffles Fox.
“They met with families, they took corrective action,” Fox said of the pantry. “They felt they were on a good path for peaceful coexistence.”
Fox said that the objective of the Pantry is to provide dignity to those in need by providing a supermarket-like experience and offering fresh food options.
“They feel like they are being respected,” Fox said.
This and the growing need from the 10 surrounding towns that the pantry serves doubled the demand placed on the organization since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Curtiss and her volunteers are now on a mission to secure a new space to operate. She said she has researched over a 100 spots but none have been the right fit between zoning and square footage needed. Even Mayor Fox has pitched in, touring the township with Curtiss to find a new place to set up.
“Larry has been very supportive,” Curtiss said. “He’s gone above and beyond.”
Curtiss isn’t deterred by the setback. She is resolute in her path forward and apologetic to the volunteers and community members that have formed a community around the pantry’s mission.
“It’s a privilege to be able to help,” Curtiss said. “I’m sorry that others don’t see it that way.”
Bishop Sally French of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey said in an email, “The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey is committed to working to end food insecurity and hunger in our communities. I give thanks for the success of the Food Pantry under Linda Curtiss’ leadership and look forward to continuing to support their efforts as they move to a new facility that will be better equipped for the current size and volume of their programs.”
