Local Group Creates ‘Little Free Pantry’

By HEIDI PRUITT

The Kokomo Post Staff

When a group of women from Kokomo’s “Pay it Forward” Facebook group saw the amount of food that was going to waste at local food pantries, they stepped up in a big way. 

Blanca Garcia and Jen Morris along with several other friends and family members volunteer multiple times a week to take leftover produce, canned and dry goods from local food pantries in Kokomo and distribute it to at least six “Little Free Pantries” throughout the city. 

When Garcia made a post to the “Pay it Forward” group asking for volunteers to help stock the pantries, Morris wanted to get involved.

When she saw how much food Garcia was consistently stocking the small pantries with, she was shocked at the amount that would potentially go to waste. 

“A whole lot of pantries have food that they aren’t getting rid of at the giveaways and so we're just trying to get it out to people and help out,” said Morris, who has been volunteering with her family for two months.

The Little Free Pantry is a nonprofit that launched in May of 2016 in Arkansas as a way to make food, personal care, and other items accessible to everyone all the time, no questions asked. 

The Little Free Pantries located in Kokomo are built and stocked by individuals, community organizations, and churches and are operated by an honor system. Allowing people to take what they need or to leave what they can as well. 

While most of the food comes from pantries at The Salvation Army, Hands of Grace, New Life Church and Fresh Start Church, there are multiple pantries throughout Kokomo that have weekly food giveaways. 

“There's people that might not have the means to get to the actual pantry, they may work when they are open, or they may just need food,” said Morris. 

LITTLE FREE PANTRY LOCATIONS:

• 2419 N. Armstrong St.

• Carver Community Center

• Market Street between North and Lordeman streets

• The intersection of Jefferson and Wabash streets

• South Side Christian Church

• Leeds Avenue, near the intersection with Markland Avenue