Little Free Pantries coming to NT - Niagara Gazette

Little Free Pantries coming to NT - Niagara Gazette

For those in North Tonawanda who are in need of assistance in providing food for themselves or their families, bridging the gap between meals is about to get a little easier. 

The Lumber City Church announced recently that the nation-wide Little Free Pantry project would be coming to the city, an initiative headed up by local woman Courtney Gfroerer. She said the goal of the pantry is to provide a discrete, convenient way for people to “take what they need and give what they can.” 

The pantry, which was displayed in an incomplete form at LCC, is a small wooden structure with shelves which will be painted and fitted with a plexiglass door to keep its contents safe from the elements or hungry animals. Gfroerer called the project “self-sustaining” and said no employees or volunteers would be needed to operate it on a day-to-day basis.

“It’s open 24 hours a day, 375 days year,” she said. “It is self-sustaining through organic involvement and contributions from volunteers and the members of the community. It’s a discrete, less demeaning way for people to access the food and personal items they may need and it’s open to anyone and everyone, from those who are in extreme need of assistance and may be homeless to those who have fallen on hard times to those who are just in between jobs and may need some items for the week.” 

Gfroerer appeared before the North Tonawanda Common Council on Jan. 9 to share her plan with city officials. She pitched two pantries to start with. The one currently being built will be installed at Nash Road Church, while the second yet-to-be-built pantry will be located at Lumber City Church. 

But Gfroerer doesn’t want to stop there, she hopes to build more pantries and place them at various locations in areas of need throughout the city, which she said may eventually include publicly owned property. She approached the council to get their “stamp of approval” in advance of any plans that may come to involve public property as she works to expand the program. 

“The need for the Little Free Pantry in North Tonawanda is great, areas of our city are considered a food desert,” she said, defining food desert as an area without easy access to food. “According to the (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture,) several areas of North Tonawanda fall within this category. (There are) a significant number of low-income residents and families that are more than a half-mile away from the nearest supermarket.” 

She noted that she hopes to have the first pantry, which was constructed with help from Cub Scout Pack 193 and plexiglass donated by Twin City Glass, up and running within the next month or two. She also said the Cornell Cooperative Extension has also expressed a desire to get involved to help ensure that the foods available offer some sort of nutritional value. 

While several city officials seemed receptive to the concept, they weren’t without their concerns. Alderman-at-Large Robert Pecoraro questioned who would ensure the quality of the products placed in the pantry. 

“I’d like to see a quality control,” he said. “Somebody that maybe does, a couple of days a week, an inspection to make sure the food they’re putting in there is not passed its useful date.” 

Gfroerer, a city resident, said she’d be able to check on the pantries, but also said that she’s been contacted by many other residents who have expressed a desire to help out. Second Ward Alderwoman Donna Braun pointed out that the churches where the first two pantries will be placed are also likely to keep and eye on them. 

Alderman-at-Large Austin Tylec called the plan “a great thing for the community,” but did mention that he was worried about the potential for vandalism. He suggested ensuring that the pantries were well secured in their position so they couldn’t be ripped from the ground and stolen. 

Mayor Arthur Pappas questioned whether there’d be supervision to make sure the supplies in the pantry were going to the individuals that really need the help. 

“If someone’s taking the food out ... they obviously need it,” Gfroerer said. “There’s nothing of extreme monetary value that’s going to be inside, so I’m really not worried about that. Again, if someone’s stealing the food, that’s the purpose of it. They need the food, they want the food.” 

She also said she has faith in the project due to its nation-wide success, saying it wouldn’t have been replicated in so many communities if the model wasn’t workable. Tylec suggested taking the project for a “test run” to see how things work out and adjusting the monitoring process accordingly.  

“There’s no doubt about it, this is a good thing for the community, it’s a good thing for the hungry, it’s a good location, we have no problems with that,” said Council President Eric Zadzilka. “We just want to see it sustainable.”