SPOKANE, Wash. – Mary Charbonneau says it takes a village to keep restocking the shelves of the ‘little free pantry’ in front of her home. The pantry helps feed dozens of local families by offering them nourishment like fruit, canned meat, bread and more.
“What’s been really remarkable to me is the diversity of people that use the pantries,” Mary said. “All ages, genders, backgrounds, demographics…these pantries help so many different people at so many times of the month.”
During the summer months, the 65 little free pantries around the Spokane area see more visitors. Mary said she’ll fill her little free pantry to the point that ‘you couldn’t fit one more thing in there,’ but then see the shelves emptied within an hour by people seeking that help on foot, by bicycle, and by car.
“In this triple digit heat, bottled water can save lives,” Mary said. “Things you don’t want to put in the pantries (during high heat) are anything in glass jars, nothing perishable or even frozen because it will melt quickly, then becomes a food safety hazard.”
Jack Dayley dropped by Mary’s little free pantry this week with hands full of non-perishable food items and other donations to restock her shelves.
“I love the little free pantry concept, because it’s open 24/7, you don’t have to make an appointment whether you’re a donator or a customer, you can come at any time anonymously and donate food or receive food,” Jack said.
He became passionate about these outdoor pantries from the moment he first donated to one.
“I was just shopping at Costco and had some extra chili and saw this group, so I found of the pantries and put a few cans in,” Jack said of his first donation. “I walked away and I just felt great. I felt like I did something that was worthwhile.”
Since then, Jack has become an admin of the ‘Little Free Pantry Spokane’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/aJS8w2TcT3fX2wbL/ and created this interactive map for finding and filling pantries:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1tbFC_DJQN7HZt978Rx9SU5ROhQrDdaBx&usp=sharing
“It’s an interactive map, so anytime it’s updated, people that have that link can see where the latest pantries have been put in,” Jack said. “In Spokane there’s about 35 little free pantries and then the outlying areas there’s another 30.”
As Jack uses his Yukon to transport donations to different pantries, he’s started calling his vehicle the ‘pantry wagon.’
“I pick up leftovers from food banks, donations,” Jack said.
He encourages more people to join his Facebook group for ongoing updates about the more than five dozen little free pantries in the Spokane area, which are always in need of non-perishable food items like bread, canned food, bottled water, etc.
“I’d like to encourage anyone that had a few extra cans of food….to feel free to find one of these free pantries,” Jack said. “Just put an item in there, they don’t have to fill them up.”
