Niles Discovery Church has established a little free pantry to provide basic food and hygiene items to those in need. Little Free Pantries activate neighbor engagement of food insecurity by addressing immediate and local needs. While they don’t intend to replace food banks, these pantries work alongside traditional models and offer a zero-barrier access point to food and help fill the gaps in the system. The opportunity for culturally relevant and healthy food access is possible through this direct giving, by neighbors and for neighbors. In the creation of micro-communities within neighborhoods and through the common action of giving and receiving, there is a mutual benefit felt by all involved.
The shed near the main entrance to the church was coverted to a little free pantry on Satuday, September 12, 2020. The shed was originally established to store equipment and donations for the Clean Start mobile hygiene unit, but during the pandemic, it had been vandalized and broken into four times. When the topic was raised with the Ministry of Property and the City of Fremont, it was agreed that the shed should be repurposed. The Homelessness Task Force proposed to the church Cabinet to convert the shed to a free pantry. The Cabinet approved the proposal at the August 16, 2020 Cabinet meeting.
Sandy Thomas volunteered to build a shelving unit to be placed inside the shed. She used several tall cabinet/pantry doors to create the unit. We plan to cut out and install a plexiglass window so people can look inside to see what is available.
To learn more about the Little Free Pantry and the mini pantry movement, visit https://www.littlefreepantry.org/
There is a list of suggested donations for the church’s little free pantry, it can be found here: Little Free Pantry Donation List