Two programs -- the West Windsor Arts Council and the Mercer Street Friends Send Hunger Packing West Windsor-Plainsboro -- came together to open a 24-hour Little Free Pantry, a first for the township.
The pantry is a repurposed former metal and newspaper dispenser and will be filled with nonperishable food items for those to take what they need and donate what they can.
“It will become a community pantry and hopefully the community will support it and it will allow those that are food insecure to easily access food when they need it,” said Melissa Hager, Send Hunger Packing (SHuP) organizer.
SHuP’s mission is to fight food insecurity, but creating a larger pantry came with staffing and location issues. The answer to those problems was the Little Free Pantry presented by Doreen Garelick, board member of the West Windsor Arts Council and a member of SHuP. Hager said the arts council provided the space for the pantry near their parking lot and an artist associated with the council, Ryan Gilleece, drafted the design for the pantry.
“ShuP WW-P selected the West Windsor Arts Council as a partner for this important project because we knew that not only is the location a central hub in our community, but the Arts Council would support this community need and share its creativity to make the pantry a thing of beauty as well,” said Garelick in a statement to NJ Advance Media.
Hager said she has high hopes for the pantry but doesn’t know what to expect as there aren’t any like it in the area. She said this pantry differs from others because those that use it don’t have to be from the area, there are no requirements and it doesn’t close.
The pantry will be checked twice a week to be replenished and remove damaged items.
The Little Free Pantry will be unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony next weekend on Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. at the West Windsor Arts Center.
Community members and children helped paint the Little Free Pantry at Autumn Arts Afternoon.
India Duke can be reached at iduke@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Inja_NJ.
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