Nonprofit was evicted from Burlington Center Mall in December
On a recent Wednesday morning, volunteers for the Burlington Township Food Pantry packed fresh peppers, bagels and hams — just in time for Easter.
Meanwhile, residents began gathering in front of the pantry’s new location on Route 130.
It’s been nearly two months since the nonprofit organization opened the new space after being evicted from the Burlington Center Mall. Volunteers and residents are starting to get used to the change.
“As you can see, the people found our location,” Director Domenic Zulla said. “Whether we move from one store to another store, they find us. We have their emails, so we send them an email.”
The organization’s eviction from the mall and struggle to find a new location garnered media attention and rallied members of the Burlington Township community. Zulla said he even went door-to-door to try to find a spot for the pantry.
“I was knocking on doors,” he said. “Everybody wanted $3,000 a month. That’s fine if we’re selling food, but we’re giving everything away. We can’t afford to pay those prices.”
The pantry’s new building is located at 1200 N. Route 130, a couple doors down from a Dollar General Store. Zulla said the organization is happy with the facility and location.
“The location itself is perfect,” he said. “It’s the first time we’ve had windows where we can see out” to the front of the building.
It’s not an unfamiliar location, either.
A couple years ago, Zulla said he called about the property but was told the owners, Burlington Coat Factory, were looking to sell it. He understood, but when the pantry was kicked out of the mall, he called again.
“They (Burlington Coat Factory) offered us the building rent-free, and they’ve been an excellent, excellent partner,” Zulla said.
However, it’s not going to be a permanent fix for the pantry. The arrangement with Burlington Coat Factory is temporary, and the organization is still looking for a long-term location.
“This is good for a year,” Zulla said. “So we’ll see what happens at this point. If they rent it to somebody, I’m out. If they sell it to somebody, I’m out.”
The pantry, which was founded in 2009, provides boxes of food to families every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. It has 10 to 12 volunteers and serves between 65 and 100 families every week, Zulla said.
Volunteers collect and pack food from a number of sources — breakfast sandwiches from Wawa, contributions from the South Jersey Food Bank and donations from local residents and businesses.
The pantry’s biggest need is new freezers. Zulla said the organization is down to 18 freezers after six stopped working properly.
“They die,” he added. “They’re old.”
In an ideal world, the pantry would have a walk-in refrigerator or icebox, Zulla said. Those plans are on hold — at least until the pantry finds a permanent facility.
For more information on the food pantry, visit www.btfoodpantry.org or call (888) 847–3278.
