BEREA, Ohio - A new national trend to help feed the hungry has made its way to Northeast Ohio, and plans are already in the works to expand the effort.
It's called the "little free pantry," a place where those in need can get food at any moment day or night.
The small wooden box is already making a big impact in Berea.
"When I go by, I see it's being used all the time," said Dawn Jaynes, Berea Community Outreach Food Pantry director.
Inside the box you’ll find canned fruits and veggies, granola bars and other ready to eat food, all of it free for the taking.
"It's really hard to get people to ask for help," said Jaynes.
That's one of the biggest challenges Jaynes’ faces as the director of Berea's food pantry. "They don't have to ask here,” said Jaynes. “They can come anytime they want it's 24 hours, no one even needs to know that they come here."
This pop-up pantry outside the Cuyahoga County Public Library branch in Berea is part of a national effort called "Little Free Pantry."
Three local residents teamed up to get the box built and filled with community donations.
The food sits just steps away from Lona Gruber's Scan Hunger Center Pantry. "I know when my that when my clients walk out of here, they're getting a well-balanced meal," said Gruber.
Gruber says not knowing who's dropping off food or taking it is concerning, but her biggest issue is with food safety, especially with cold winter weather freezing cans causing them to expand.
"That's not a good idea to use it," said Gruber. "That may well be the beginning of Botulism, and as you know, that will make you very ill."
However, not everyone shares Gruber's concerns.
"I think there's enough pairs of eyes on here watching to make sure the food is fresh, it's not frozen, it's not damaged," added Jaynes.
While the free little pantry provides an indiscreet way to get a helping hand, Jaynes still hopes to see people in need face-to-face.
"We'd love for them to come into our pantries because I don't want to be just food, I want to be able to help people in other ways as well," said Jaynes.
Those behind Berea's "Little Free Pantry" tell News 5 plans are in the works to add at least a half dozen more in neighboring communities.
A fundraising effort is underway to bring them to places like Middleburg Heights and Brook Park.
Each pantry costs about $175 to construct.
A celebrity bartending event will take place on February 1st at Razzles in Olmsted Falls to help cover the cost of future pop-up pantries.
