Hunger & Homelessness - Filling the Little Free Pantry

I fill the pantry 2 times a week. Most of the time my job is routine, but I look out for things that need to be wiped down or picked up. A few weeks ago, I picked up an empty can. I am sure it came from our pantry. It had one of those pull tops so you don't need a can opener. It was a can of ravioli in tomato sauce, the kind you use for a quick lunch. As I picked it up, I wondered what it was like to be so hungry that you just stood outside and ate cold food out of a can.

We don't interact much with our "customers" but once in a while we have contact. One day as I was standing at the box emptying my bags into it, a voice behind me said, "Thank you." I turned around and a young man smiled at me. He was in his late teens, maybe early 20's. Our "customers" are grateful and respectful of the pantry.

We ask them to take only a few items and leave something for the next person and we know from random observation that this is what most people do. Since this past summer when food stamps were cut, we have seen increased demand. We were stocking the pantry 6 days a week and every time one of us came on our day, the pantry would be empty or have a single can of vegetables in it. We decided to stock it 7 days a week and still the only time it isn't empty or nearly empty is when we can tell that other people have left items. Yes, there are non-church members that put food in our pantry. Our Little Free Pantry provides a way for anyone to contribute and we see regular contributions.

Because we don't ask for a person's address, we can serve the homeless as well as the people nearby who live in subsidized housing. That means that we can't buy food from Hoosier Hills Food Bank at a deep discount, which means we have to buy our food from local grocery stores. We are spending $300 per month to fill the pantry. We buy to supplement what you donate.

If we seem to be driven to fundraise, it is in response to the need we see from our "customers." It doesn't work to say "Well, I fed you yesterday."

By Judy Kelly
Hunger Task Force