Compassion, Generosity, & Trust Mini Food Pantries Feeding Neighbors

Compassion, Generosity & Trust

Mini Pantries Feeding Neighbors

By Karen Hammond

One of the first things I did when I moved to Massachusetts was to find a volunteer opportunity in my new community. I found a local food pantry that really needed help and I’ve been there every week since. Food insecurity is a huge issue in the US – it doesn't matter where you live, there will be people without enough food

PANTRY DO’S & DON’TS

~ DO'S ~

• Diapers/pads/tampons • Shampoo/Toothbrushes/soap/deodorant • Cans with pull tops • Can openers • Single serving snacks • Canned veggies/fruit/beans/soup/stew • Ramen noodles/soup • Single roll toilet tissue/paper towels • Cans of tuna & chicken • Single-serve oatmeal and cereal • Crackers/bread/cereal • Socks, hats & gloves • Hand warmers • Water/Juice boxes/drink pouches • Dried fruit/trail mix/raisins • Baby food/Formula • Dried beans and legumes • Chili or stew in pouches • Plastic utensils/paper plates/wet wipes

Throughout Paducah and increasingly in surrounding towns, you can find Mini Food Pantries. People just like you and I who don’t have a lot of time, and with tight budgets themselves, see neighbors struggle daily. We feel called to do something in a way that reflects our shared values - compassion, generosity, and trust.

The First Mini Pantry

The movement was started by Jessica McClard, an avid runner from Fayetteville, Arkansas. She noticed Little Free Library sites proliferating in her neighborhood and beyond. As she ran she thought about other uses for these neighborly spaces. McClard had a keen awareness of the prevalence of food insecurity in Northwest Arkansas. She was part of a giving circle at the elementary school her two daughters attended, helping provide food to students in need.

The first Little Free Pantry was started in May 2016. It contained nonperishable food, personal hygiene items, and paper goods. It was accessible to everyone all the time, with no questions asked. McClard hoped her idea would help to increase the local awareness of food insecurity and create a space for her neighbors to help meet local food needs.

~ DON'TS ~

• Do not put change or cash – gift cards are okay • Heavily perfumed or smelling items such as body spray • Medicines • Fresh fruit and veggies that spoil or attract insects or vermin • Food, liquids, or aerosol cans that could freeze and explode • Things containing nuts especially peanuts – ask before you place it • Items that could melt and becomes a mess • Glass jars that can break if dropped • Expired foods • Dented cans/broken seals/open packages

A little over a month later, CrystalRock Cathedral Women’s Ministries put up a Blessing Box in Ardmore, Oklahoma. By August 2016, the movement was global. Throughout the US and internationally, the grassroots mini pantry movement continues to grow.

The concept is simple. A Little Free Pantry can take many forms, but typically it looks a lot like McClard’s first box - a free-standing cabinet with shelves and a door, mounted on a post. Anyone can put up a pantry, anyone can take items from the pantry, and anyone can donate to the pantry.

Paducah Mini Food Pantry FB Page

By the spring of 2019, there were several mini pantry locations in Paducah. A Facebook pagea was created to help manage the boxes and it now organizes about ten of them. Volunteers report the condition of each box and provide updates to the public so they know which box needs stocking or attention on any particular day. Volunteers post pictures of the boxes when they fill them, leading by example to inspire others.

As the page organizers noted: “We have over 10,000 human beings in McCracken County who are food insecure. 32% of them earn too much money for the SNAP program. Almost 3,000 children at any moment could face hunger in our community.”

In June 2019 McCracken County Library (McLib) added a mini pantry. You may be asking why would a library need a food pantry? Located near Dolly McNutt Plaza, McLib staff are very aware of the housing and food issues in the city. Many without shelter come to the library during the day and try to sleep at the Plaza at night.

“A library is one of the only places in the world where you can be there without any expectation of paying for anything,” explained McLib Director, Justin Brasher. “People can shelter there in safety. We love that we can help people, especially those that have housing insecurities. These same people also have food insecurities, so a mini pantry was very much needed.” The pantry, located on Washington Street near the bike racks, is diligently managed by both patrons and staff.

The mini pantries are filled through food drives at local bars and restaurants, as well as collections by church and civic groups. But most frequently they are filled by kind and caring local residents. During the summer they are stocked with water and items that won’t spoil in the heat. In the winter you might find gloves, hats, and hand warmers.

There is a mini pantry outside Paducah Cooperative Ministry (PCM). PCM, a food bank, has a full-service food pantry available during weekday business hours but recognized not everyone could get there during the day. Weekends were also an issue. The mini pantry gives people access to food 24/7 and is a place for overstocked items.

Paducah’s Southside had a large need but few mini pantries so Kingsway Skateland established a mini pantry. There’s one at the Islamic Center and another at the McCracken County Extension Office.

Food Insecurity Continues

I want to make it clear that mini pantries are not a solution to food insecurity. In particular, they can’t accommodate quantity or variety – much less fresh fruits and vegetables. They are not a particularly efficient way of coordinating food aid. There is the potential for liability if someone, say with a peanut allergy, becomes ill from the food they takeb. Perishable items are a problem in both hot and cold weather. People tend to donate food but personal items and items like diapers are also needed. Weather-related damage and vandalism do occur. And, there is always the criticism that food is taken by those who don’t need it.

The bottom line is that the mini pantry movement is a grassroots, crowdsourced solution to an immediate and local need. Whether a need for food or a need to give, mini pantries help feed neighbors while nourishing neighborhoods. The act of donating food to these pantries really brings home that hunger in our towns and cities is real. And that’s a good start to a bigger and permanent societal solution.

b. McClard’s site, littlefreepantry.org, recommends that users consult the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act of 1996. A law to encourage people to donate food and groceries to nonprofit organizations by reducing their risk of civil and criminal liability. While retailers, restaurants, and other businesses in the food sector are on the hook for food-borne illnesses, the Bill Emerson Act provides a broad waiver to philanthropy.

PADUCAH MINI FOOD PANTRIES

Active Day of Paducah 2005 Broadway

Arcadia UMC 261 Lone Oak Rd.

Concord United Methodist 5178 Hinkleville Rd.

First Christian Church 415 Audubon Drive

Fountain Avenue UMC Corner of Fountain & Monroe

Free Gospel Church 2235 Dixie Avenue, Paducah’s Southside.

Grace Episcopal Church 8th & Kentucky Ave. side, across from ATT building

Heath Elementary School 4365 Metropolis Lake Rd, West Paducah

Islamic Center of Paducah 760 Berger Rd.

Kingsway Skateland 3430 Wayne Sullivan Dr. Maxon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 7920 Cairo Rd.

McCracken County Cooperative Extension Office 2025 New Holt Rd.

McCracken Co Library 555 Washington

New Hope Cumberland Presbyterian 7680 New Hope Church Rd.

Oaklawn Baptist Church 500 Oaks Rd., off John Puryear

Paducah Area Transit System 850 Harrison St.

Paducah Community Kitchen 1237 Martin Luther King Dr.

Paducah First Church of the Nazarene 2626 Adams St, behind McDonald's

Paducah McCracken County Senior Center 1400 HC Mathis Dr.

Project Pomona 714 Husbands St.

Ricks Pharmacy 3001 Schneidman Rd.