CARTERVILLE, Mo. — Kallie Divine took to heart the concept behind the little free libraries by building a free food pantry in front of her home. Named the blessing box, it is filled with nonperishable items.
And while baby formula, potato chips and toilet paper may have replaced the likes of Bradbury, Patterson and Tolkien, the philosophy behind Divine’s pantry is nearly identical to the free libraries dotting the area: Take what you need; leave what you can.
“I wish I could take credit for coming up with the idea, but I can’t; I saw a picture on Facebook and thought it was a really neat idea,” Divine, 34, said. “At one point, my sister had gone through a hardship and told me she didn’t have enough to feed her children one night. I couldn’t get that out of my mind. I prayed for a way to help others in a time of need, and the blessing box came to mind.”
Like the free libraries, the pantry — first opened to the public on Sept. 9 at 110 East Main Street — is available 24 hours a day.
“The box is not locked at all; it just has a latch to keep the door from opening,” Divine said, who is a stay-at-home mom.
“It is open to anyone day or night.”
While Divine admitted having an unlocked pantry filled with free food might lead to thievery or tampering, she ultimately believes in the kindness of strangers trumpeting all else.
“My fiance, Daniel, had the same worries, but I told him if they are willing to go to that level and do something like that, then they must have needed it badly enough,” she said. “There is always going to be bad in this world. We just have to overcome it with good. If that means helping one person, then I’m willing to take that chance.”
The pantry’s top shelf holds toiletry items such as sanitary napkins, body washes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, lip balm, hand sanitizers, razors, and shampoo. The bottom two shelves are filled with nonperishable food, such as boxed meals and canned goods or items that can make an entire meal, such as spaghetti noodles and sauces, pancake mix and syrup, etc. Eventually, she would like to add to the pantry diapers, wipes, baby food, baby snacks or toddler meals, baby lotions and baby shampoos.
“No one should have to go without,” Divine said. “Let alone a child.
Soon, frozen foods will added to the outdoor pantry.
“I am in the process of trying to get frozen foods (and) meats, and if and when I do get those I will store them in my big freezer and leave a list on the box door (showing) what I have,” Divine said. “All they have to do is ring the bell and let me know what is needed and I will get it — no questions asked.”
When stocks grow low, they are replenished through donations from the public.
“I’m going to have to get my fiance to make (more) storage space because of all the donations I am receiving, but that is a very good thing,” she said.
The generosity from the public has, at times, stunned Divine speechless.
“I had prayed for God to help keep the (pantry) up and going, and after I had posted about it on social media, it wasn’t a day or so later before I had a knock at my door from a woman who said she had seen my post and wanted to help,” she said.
The woman ended up handing her bags full of items for the pantry.
“I was just in shock,” Divine said. “I didn’t even get to introduce myself because I was just amazed at what had just happened.”
The pantry — which is big and blue and hard to miss when traveling down Main Street — was constructed from a family heirloom.
“We had originally started to hand make one from scratch, but I actually had an old dresser of my Mom’s that I had planned on using for something when she passed away,” she said. “I said, ‘Why don’t we use the dresser? It already has the shelves. We can just fix a few things and make a door.’ So we did. My Mom ... was a giver of all things and loved to help anyone she could, so we dedicated (the blessing box) to her in her memory (so) we can continue to do what she loved doing by helping others.”
Divine has created a Facebook page — “Carterville Food Pantry” — to help get the word out, not only for those who may need what’s found on the shelves inside, she said, but for others who would like to donate goods or money.
Another community pantry, similar to Divine’s blessing box, also opened in early September in neighboring Webb City. It is affiliated with The Servant’s Church and is located near Newman’s Auto West lot across from the Webb City Walgreens.
While others have reached out to her, intrigued by the idea of starting pantries in other area communities, Divine said she will likely continue to operate just the one pantry inside her Southwest Missouri town.
“I just think (the pantry) is something our community could use no matter the location,” she said. “We all struggle at times. And to know you have somewhere (to go) to help in a time of need can be just like a sigh of relief during hard times.
“I got to personally help four people (last week). I can’t tell you how amazing this experience has been for me. I received a thank you card from someone in my mail box thanking me for helping them. It brought me to tears. I can’t tell you how much this has impacted me and my heart ... It makes it worth it to see (strangers) get some kind of relief in their (lives), even if it’s just a minute.”
