Seven Days Story: Thom Terrific

Published January 13, 2021

For nearly eight years, Thom Fleury has operated a small weekend food pantry in Burlington's New North End. He started it in March 2013 when he realized that kids at C.P. Smith Elementary School, where Fleury then served as principal, could use some food on the weekends. On the first day, just three people showed up in the basement of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge on North Avenue.

The enterprise has grown exponentially over the years, fueled by the need resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Pantry usage exploded, with as many as 123 people visiting on a single day last spring.

"We don't take anybody's name. We don't ask them where they live," Fleury said. "We've had a number of people come who look embarrassed and awkward, and we just simply say, 'Grab a box and fill it right up.' We figure they come when they need it."