'We need help': Bronx food pantry says it's on the verge of closing

PELHAM PARKWAY, The Bronx (PIX11)-- A Bronx food pantry that serves an estimated 2,000 people per week says it's on the verge of closing its doors.

Alex Nilaj, the founder of Open Hand Association, tells PIX 11 News, "We owe three months' rent, and he wants more money in advance. We have another $15,000 in electricity." Nilaj said.

The monthly rent is $5,000 for a 5,000 square foot warehouse space on Lidig Avenue in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood.

The electric bill is around $2,000, Nilaj said.

Gail Tweedy, who does Public Relations for the non-profit organization, said, "We are running out of time, we're running out of ideas, and we're running out of options; we need help."

Tweedy said if the pantry closes, "there's nowhere in the Bronx that can absorb that amount of families that q