Families visiting the New Britain Food Pantry choose their own groceries instead of taking home a prepacked bag.

The volunteer-run nonprofit, which moved to 3400 Pickertown Road in Warrington, as we reported Oct. 9, operates a choice-based model at its new location. Guests shop from a "Pick Ticket" listing available items, selecting from frozen beef, pork or chicken, eggs, butter, cheese, fresh produce, pantry staples and paper goods. Each visit covers seven to 10 days of groceries, and households may come twice per calendar month.

The shift to the former Mill Creek School building, about three miles from the pantry's old home at 22 E. Butler Ave. in New Britain Borough, came after a search that began in late 2025. New Britain Baptist Church housed the pantry for more than 30 years. In August 2024, the church gave its building to Grace Church of Doylestown and the congregation dissolved. The pantry's lease could not be renewed, and the organization became its own independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Executive Director Cindy Field told the Bucks County Herald the team toured more than a dozen sites before landing on Mill Creek School, which opened in 1928 and later served as Warrington Township's municipal building. Field said the new space is twice the size of the old one, as BucksCo.Today reported.

That extra space comes with a new expense. Rent is a line item for the first time, and Field told the Herald that money spent on the lease cannot go toward food.

In an Oct. 7 Patch article, Field addressed confusion about the pantry's reach: "Since our move, we've heard from neighbors who thought we had closed, or who assumed they had to live in New Britain to get help … We're here, our doors are open, and if you live in Central Bucks or New Hope-Solebury, we want to see you."

The pantry serves anyone facing food insecurity in the Central Bucks or New Hope-Solebury school districts. That covers Doylestown, Buckingham, Chalfont, New Britain, Plumstead, Warrington, Warwick and New Hope-Solebury. Residents unsure whether their address qualifies can text 215-527-9377.

No appointment is needed. Hours are Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon, and Thursday, 5 to 7 p.m. First-time guests should bring proof of address and follow signs to the side entrance. Guests are asked to bring their own grocery bags. The pantry follows the Central Bucks School District's weather closures.

In 2025, the pantry served 311 families and 8,519 guests, all through volunteers who draw no salaries. Bill Field was singled out by pantry leaders for overseeing the renovation, coordinating contractors and performing some of the construction work himself, Central Bucks Now reported.

The pantry's current needs list, posted on its website, includes coffee, boxed cereal, cooking oil, canned fruit, condiments, pancake mix and toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant and laundry detergent. No tuna or beans are needed. Nonperishable donations can be left in the shed outside anytime. Financial gifts are accepted by Venmo, GIANT gift cards, Amazon wish list and Walmart Round Up.

The pantry reopens Wednesday, Oct. 14, after a Columbus Day closure. The next scheduled closure is Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11.