There's a new grocery store in downtown Longmont, but it's free, outside a church and housed in a single, 6-foot-tall, free-standing cabinet.
Josie and Gus Brockmann built a Little Free Pantry outside of First Evangelical Lutheran Church at 803 Third Ave. The idea originated at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, Ark.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church members wrote on the Little Free Pantry Facebook page that they were inspired by the Little Free Library movement to build stand-alone cabinets in neighborhoods that offered free food items in May 2016.
The Brockmanns built what they believe is Longmont's first Little Free Pantry with the help of friends and installed it on Sunday.
"It works off of the 'take what you need and leave what you can' idea," Josie Brockmann said, pointing to the inscription on the little cabinet stuffed with nonperishable food items and some basic toiletries.
Josie Brockmann said that they were inspired to create the Little Free Pantry because they noticed that people were coming into the church needing food. Gus Brockmann is the director of worship at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, while Josie Brockmann works at the Longmont Public Library and is a member of the church.
Unlike more official food pantries, the Little Free Pantry doesn't require any sign-ups, vetting or proof of need.
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Even though it's small, the Little Free Pantry comes with quite a few features. It's fairly waterproof, with a hinged plexiglass door that clicks in place with two magnetic cabinet latches. There's a layer of shingles on the slanted roof of the pantry and compartments inside for different types of items.
The Brockmanns added a little plastic cardholder sleeve to the top left corner of the door to denote what local group has "adopted" the pantry on a month-by-month basis.
"That way, a school group, or rotary, or Boy Scouts can adopt it and kind of just watch over and maintain it and keep it stocked," Josie Brockmann said. "Plus, they get to put their name up here."
The Longmont pantry has its own Facebook page. People can follow and discuss the pantry at bit.ly/2vQU80F or by searching "FELC Little Free Pantry" on Facebook.
While there are nonperishable items and toiletries in the pantry right now, the Brockmanns said that others have put produce or school supplies in the free-standing cabinets.
If someone would like to donate items to the Free Little Pantry, they can simply drop them off inside the pantry. Or, if the cabinet is full, they can drop it off inside the church whenever it is open.
Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci
