Little Free Pantry opens in Midtown St. Joseph - News-Press Now

Little Free Pantry opens in Midtown St. Joseph - News-Press Now

A new project in Midtown St. Joseph aims to provide food and other items to those who need them 24/7.

Vanessa Steinman of St. Joseph recently joined the Little Free Pantry movement, having a cabinet built and installed at the corner of 24th and Edmond streets.

“I believe that there’s a lot of people who need food and just don’t have the ability to go and drive to the pantries to get it,” Steinman said. “So little pantries in the communities, they’re able to just come any time of the day.”

The Little Free Pantry is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone can stop by to donate items or take what they need. Steinman said it’s a way for neighbors to help out one another. The pantry includes shelf-stable food and hygiene and toiletry items, she said.

Steinman said she has made the Little Free Pantry an educational experience for her 6-year-old and 8-year-old.

“I’ve explained to them that some people don’t have food and this is a good way to help the community,” Steinman said. “They help me keep it stocked.”

She likened the pantry to the Little Free Libraries which have been popping up in neighborhoods in recent years.

A website dedicated to the Little Free Pantry movement recommends anyone interested in starting one researches specs of a Little Free Library when building the structure.

Steinman asked a friend if he had any wood pallets she could use to build her pantry. He had some extra wood and constructed the pantry for her.

“The shape was really determined by the size of a window a friend had given him,” Steinman said.

Steinman said she rarely notices when people stop by the pantry. She monitors the pantry to make sure it’s staying well stocked. When the pantry is full, she said people have left items on her porch so she can refill the pantry once more items are taken from it. However, she said the pantry doesn’t stay full for long.

The pantry, which has been open for a little more than a week, appears to have attracted a good amount of community participation, Steinman said.

LittleFreePantry.org provides information on how someone can start a pantry in their neighborhood. The website recommends making sure the location chosen does not place anyone in an unsafe area due to high crime or traffic. It should be in an accessible place where people can easily walk up to the structure, the website states.