Whether you’re looking to give back, or looking for some free food, these little food pantries have a creative solution. It’s about people helping people, one box at a time.
If you can, giving food to the local food bank is a great way to give back to your community.
The process that individuals have to go through to access the items available in a public food pantry can sometimes be time consuming and frustrating, though.
And so a creative solution growing across the country is making things more personal- and completely anonymous.
NPR.org writes of how Americans like Maggie Ballard of Wichita, Kansas, are building small food boxes on their own property. The containers act like the small, free library boxes that have sprouted in some areas, and offer food, toiletries and other basics to those in need.
Anyone who needs some food or personal items can access the box, at any time, without questions. And while the boxes are small, they eliminate any need to fill out forms or explain oneself when seeking free food and essentials.
Said Ballard of her own box to NPR.org, “I felt like this is something that I could do- something small that you know, would benefit so many people so long as the word got out about it.”
Food pantries constructed and stocked privately have been popping up in Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana and Minnesota, and the trend is growing.
For ideas on how to start your own, check out the Little Free Pantry on Facebook.
Photo credit: APN Photography/Shutterstock
