Thom Fleury
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.