If You Build It...

When we first opened the Little Yellow Free Pantry in 2021, I was worried.  Worried that we would not get enough visitors.

And the first few days, my worries were well founded.  A few people stopped by, but not many.

So, I made signs – printed them in multiple languages – and hung them in very visible locations on our fence so people walking and driving by our busy corner would see them.

We got a few more guests coming for food, but not many.

So, I made and laminated signs in English and Spanish and hung them at nearby bus stops.  I tried to hang one at the Department of Human Services office down the street, but a guard took it down.

And some more people came, but not many.

So – I had a grand idea.  I went to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) to talk to the professionals!!  I had never been there, but just pulled up and talked to the first person I saw with a nametag standing outside the building.

I explained my “predicament” – that we had opened a Little Free Food Pantry, but we needed VISITORS!!  I floated the idea past him of perhaps advertising somehow at AFAC.

The man looked at me incredulously.  “Ma’am,” he said, “Do you know how many people we serve here??  You do not want to advertise (unspoken but clear in his inflection – “your little tiny operation”) at AFAC”.

Well ok then.  I drove back home and did a bit of research on AFAC.  If you Google the organization today, here is what you see as their stats for 2023:

·       140,635 total family visits – a 29.4% increase over last year

·       7,634 total families referred (18,942 individuals)

·       6,586 distinct families served (16,003 individuals)

·       5,375 children served

·       Average 2,712 families served per week

·       Of individuals served: 56% female, 33.6% children,12.8% senior, 52.5% Hispanic/Latinx, 19.9% Black,8.9% Asian, 11.7% White, 1.3% Other

·       Individuals with disabilities: 8.5% overall; 25% of seniors, 2.9% of children*

So, ummm, yeah, perhaps advertising at AFAC was not the right way to go…

Fast forward 3 years. 

The Little Yellow Free Pantry has pleeeeenty of guests!!!  In fact, sometimes the number of visitors, the back and forth from the storage shelves to the pantry to refill it over and over, and the amount of food required to keep the operation running is overwhelming.  But it is overwhelming in a good way, if that makes sense.

Well, last night I took it full circle.  I was asked to go with members of the Arlington Rotary Club to volunteer at AFAC!!  I was so excited!  I would get to see it “behind the scenes” and help in preparing food for the community.

Our volunteer job for the evening was taking large 50-pound bags of white rice and breaking them down into smaller bags, sealing those, and stacking them in crates.  A group of 11 volunteers worked for 1 hour, and in that time, we made 620 bags of right to be given to AFAC clients.  Isn’t that awesome?  And it was fun!!

(Though, I must confess, as we were scooping rice into bags, sealing them, stacking them – in the back of my mind I thought, “Susan, THIS SAME TASK IS WAITING TO BE DONE AT YOUR HOUSE!  The LYFP is out of small bags of rice and you need to decant the huge bags into smaller ones!  You should be doing this for your pantry, too!”.  And, as soon as I came home, I messaged the friend who did “rice duty” for the LYFP last time and asked if she could come do it again soon (she can!). And trust me, the bags of rice we are dealing with for our tiny pantry are NOT 50 lbs each 😊 .)

I was so happy to get to visit and help out at AFAC.  And, I must confess, equally happy to come home to our muuuuch smaller, scaled-down version of community food distribution. 

Because everybody deserves good food.

*Note: I wish that I could share statistics as extensive as AFAC’s to demonstrate the population that relies on the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  I wish I could tell you the number of people, how many families, children, people with disabilities, etc. come get food.  But here’s the thing: there are no rules or requirements to use the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  You don’t need to register.  You don’t need to show papers.  And you are not “checked in” when you visit.  It is private, anonymous (except for the guests I have become friends with), and open 24/7.  Sadly, that makes it impossible to track the statistical impact.  But I will tell you this: 100% of the guests of the Little Yellow Free Pantry are GRATEFUL.  That may be the only statistic we can “track”, but it is good enough for me. 

If you would like to help stock the LYFP, we these are the current urgent needs:

-         Single serving boxes/bowls of cereal, any flavors (we are totally out)

-         Spaghetti-Os or canned ravioli (we are totally out)

-         Packets of Indian vegetarian meals (we are totally out)

-         Microwave popcorn (we have 2 single serving bags left and will be out by morning)

-         Honey (a pantry staple, we have only 3 bottles left)

-         Almond milk (almost out)

-         Jelly, any flavor (running low)

-         Single serving packs of oatmeal

-         Single serving drinks of any kind (except water and milk (we have enough of those for now) or soda) – like Capri Suns, juice boxes/bottles, coconut water (we are out), cans of lemonade, V8 blends, cans of iced tea, etc.

-         Canned items that are not vegetables or fruit – things like evaporated milk, peppers, olives, bamboo shoots, salsa, Rotel, etc.

-         Single serving cups of ravioli (2 left)

 If you are local to the metro DC area, there is a tan and green plastic bin on our front porch in South Arlington for donations.  Please put items there and not directly into the pantry.  Message me for the address if you need it.  If you would like to order from the Amazon wish list, here is a link.  You can click on “sort” then “high to low” to see the items most needed on top.  Click here for the Kindness Activist Wish List

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon and Honey

When people stop to peruse the Little Yellow Free Pantry, because of the way it is situated, often I can only see their legs and feet.  Some legs and feet I recognize, others I do not.  So, today when I saw some unknown legs and feet, I popped outside to see who was there.

It turned out to be someone who hadn’t been to the pantry before.  I kept my distance so as not to frighten her and said, “Hello!” cheerfully.  She stepped to the side of the box and we could see one another.  She was a young-ish woman, very thin, who looked a bit scared and confused.

I approached with a smile and welcomed her.  She had a bag of chips in her hand that she had found in the pantry.  I asked her if there was other food she would like and explained that I would run inside and get it for her if there was.

She was shy and a bit overwhelmed I think.  “No, no, this is ok,” she said, showing me her tiny bag of chips. 

Then she asked what she must have been wondering, “WHAT IS THIS?  Why?  And why so GENEROUS?”.  Her English had a tell-tell accent that let me know this was not her first language, and that made it clear that culturally she had never seen a sight like the Little Yellow Free Pantry.

Her questions were not easy to answer, really.  Not to a skeptical soul.  But I tried.  “Because in this neighborhood, we believe that EVERYONE belongs, and that we all should have good food,” I tried.  Her eyes showed the trust had still not been gained.  “This food is not from ME,” I explained, “It is from EVERYONE,” (I gestured largely, though could never gesture large enough to explain to her that food arrives from strangers around the entire country who support this massive project).  “Everyone together gives.  Many people here do not have food to eat.”

This fact seemed to surprise her.  I could see the wheels spinning in her head and the lightbulb go off – YOU MEAN I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE?

“People visit all day, every day.  In the night, too!  If you come at night, the light will turn on so you can see the food,” I told her.  “Really???  But WHY?” she asked, her head still swirling with this strange concept.

Her “why” was not a question of “why do people need food”, but WHY DID THEY FIND IT IN THIS STRANGE YELLOW BOX ON A BUSY CORNER??

I smiled.  “Because.  Because here, in this community, we work together.  If we have food, we share.  If we do not have food, we come here to get some.  We work together.”

Eventually we built up enough trust that she was willing to tell me that she needed some canned fish.  I ran inside and returned with a basket full of items for her to choose from – an American mistake…  The trust that had been delicately built cracked when I handed her a bag and explained that she could put the items inside it to carry.

“No, no no!!!  Too much!!” she quickly objected.

Damn, why hadn’t i just gotten a couple cans of fish and started out slowly?  Sigh. 

I held up the can of salmon.  She smiled and let out a quiet “yes”.  Tuna?  Smile.  “Enough!  Enough!” she exclaimed. 

I quietly raised the bottle of honey.  “Honey??” I offered.  “Well, I do like honey…” she said quietly as a bit more of her guard dropped.

In the end she let me put a few items in the bag, including a can opener that she needed.  She said that she wanted to help me – what help could she offer?  She explained that she and her son are living in a hotel room but she is hunting for an apartment.  That hunt is proving difficult though, because the places she has checked will not let the two of them share a studio, which is what her budget would allow.  And in the meantime, the hotel is eating away at their funds.

I hope to see her again.  I am bad with names, so I have jotted hers down to try and remember it.  I told her I would love her help and that next time I see her walk by I may have a task for her to do.

In the meantime, she and her son will have fish tonight.  And honey.  And perhaps a bit more trust in this strange new world they are calling home.

 

If you would like to help keep the Little Yellow Free Pantry stocked, we would be grateful and honored.  Donations of shelf-stable, unopened, unexpired food are always welcome, as are full-sized toiletries (no medicines).  We are currently very low on:

-         Peanut butter (any kind)

-         Honey

-         Toothpaste (full sized tubes)

-         Jelly (any flavor)

-         Pop-Tarts (any flavor)

-         Ketchup

-         Soy sauce

-         Mustard

-         Relish

-         Mayonnaise

-         Cans of salmon

-         Spaghetti-Os

-         Cake mix

-         Jars of pickles (any kind)

-     Boxes of Jell-O (any flavor)

If you are local to the DC metro area, donations for the LYFP can be left in the tan and green plastic bin on our front porch near the front door.  If you are not local and would like to order via Amazon, please check out our wishlist here: LYFP Wishlist  . Anything ordered there will ship directly to our home and be put in the pantry storage area, then moved to the LYFP as needed. 

 

 

 

Good Food

Sometimes being in charge of the Little Yellow Free Pantry overwhelms me.

That’s the truth.

It is not an easy project to manage.  It probably seems easy when you look at it:  a relatively small box, two shelves, with food and toiletries displayed inside.  I mean, how hard can that be to run??

But in reality – it is very hard. 

There are the daily Amazon donations to unpack, bring down to the pantry storage area, and put away.  There are the daily hand delivered donations to sort through (checking “best by” dates), bring down to the pantry storage area, and put away.  There is the Amazon list to keep up to date (don’t want too much of one thing and none of something else).  There is the constant restocking of items in the pantry.  There is greeting guests and running down to the storage area to bring them out bags of what they need.  There is collecting, responding to, shopping for food, and delivering it when notes for special items are left in pantry.

And that doesn’t take into account the physical upkeep of the actual pantry!  Changing batteries when the lights don’t work.  Fixing the doors when they get broken.  Honestly, the whole pantry needs to be rebuilt at the moment as it has been out in the elements for two years and is falling apart a bit.

I tell you these things not to complain – trust me, I loooove being the keeper of the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  It brings me great joy.  But I share those things so that you might get a sense of how it can all get a bit overwhelming sometimes.

But then something happens, something always happens, to center me in the experience and remind me that all of the effort is indeed worth it.

One of those things happened today.  I want to share it with you so that you, too, can get a sense of the value that a tiny box with two shelves can bring to a community.

We were out in the yard, having just hung about 150 plastic eggs filled with treats from our fence for passersby to find and share (with 100 more to hang tomorrow).  It looks like quite a sight - brightly colored plastic eggs dangling from pretty ribbons all along the fence.  Lovely! 

Two women I had never seen before stopped to take it all in.  They looked a bit confused (and I can understand why, the whole vibe of our home can be a touch overwhelming).  They walked to the pantry and stopped to look in.  They didn’t open the doors but peered through the windows of the pantry.  They spoke quietly to one another in a language I could tell was not English, but they were so quiet I couldn’t make it out.  Then one of them said to me, “Food??”. 

“Yes!” I told them.  “Food!  For all (I gestured around the neighborhood)”.  More quiet talking, likely translating what I had tried to explain.  “For you!  You can have”.  Quiet talking…  “What would you like?  Soup?  Peanut butter?  Tea?” I tried.  “Eggs??” was the quiet response.  Sadly, I had just given away the eggs this morning…  “Hmmm, no eggs…  You wait – I will show!  Please stay,” I said as I rushed in to fill a basket with choices.  With the language barrier I figured it would be easier to SHOW than TELL. 

I brought out a basket of items and some cloth grocery bags.  I gave each woman a bag and held up an item.  “Soup – yes or no??”   “Yes!”  I put it into one of their bags.  “Shampoo (gesturing to show washing my hair) – yes or no?”  “Yes,” they said as they caught on to the system. 

One by one we went through the items, some yes, some no.  After one yes on a food item, the woman asked, “Is good??”.  Hmmm, what did she mean?  Does it taste good?  She saw the confusion on my face and tried again.  “Is, ummm, expire??” she asked.  “Ahhh, no!!  Not expired!  Good!  Good.  All good.  All food here – GOOD,” I explained.  And then I realized that this must seem too good to be true.  How had they happened upon such a place – a place that would help them fill their bellies and wash their hair – and the things they would be given were nice and fresh and new and GOOD.  (And I where had they been given things that were not good, and so often that they had learned the word “expire”….)

I asked where they were from and they told me Afghanistan.  They have been here for one and a half years.  Meaning – they are refugees of the war. 

It is moments like that when I am reminded that the mission of the pantry is important.  Not only does it provide nourishment to many, it also provides hope.  It provides welcome.  It provides community.  

Welcome to the neighborhood, ladies.  I wish we had met you sooner.  I am thankful you walked by today and were brave enough to stop and talk.  May America be a safe place for you.  May you make many friends in this country.  And may your food always be GOOD.

Vegan Food, Flowers, and More

One thing that I find so admirable in people is the ability to be vulnerable.  It is not easy opening up, showing your “less than perfect” side.  Especially these days. It seems like everyone has filters on their Instagram photos and, if you believe people’s Facebook statuses, the whole world has happy marriages and perfectly adjusted children.

That’s why, when someone is willing to open up and be vulnerable, I take time to embrace it. 

One underused part of the Little Yellow Free Pantry is a special request box.  There are instructions on it in English and Spanish that say if you have a special food need, write your name, phone number, and what you need on a little card and leave it.  There is a pen in the box, too (though it often finds its way home with visitors and has to be replaced).

I check that little box religiously but rarely find any notes in it.  But Monday I did!  I opened it to find a card, folded in half, that said:

GUS (phone number)

Vegan.

Thank you!

(big heart drawing)

You can bet it wasn’t long after I found it that I gave Gus a call!  He was surprised that someone was actually getting in touch with him.  In fact, he was sort of speechless.  I explained that I found his note and just needed his shopping list.  He stammered, unsure of what to do.

So, we talked a bit.  I asked if he lived in the area.  Nope, he told me, he just happened to drive by the pantry when he was making some deliveries.  He explained that times are tough right now – he is between jobs.  He was almost out of gas when he noticed the pantry and stopped.  He said he is fasting for Lenten.  He is eating a vegan diet for the month and eating fish on Fridays.  I commended his efforts and again asked for a shopping list.  But he could only sputter out a couple of items.  I think that is when I told him how much I respected his vulnerability.  “You know, not many people are brave enough to put a note in that box,” I told him.  “And I am really glad you did.  I love when people are honest and up-front about what they need.  That’s what this whole project is here for.”  He confessed that it hadn’t been easy to write the note.  He said he stood squarely in front of the pantry as he wrote it, so that no one passing by could see him. 

After we talked a while more, I said, “Listen, Gus.  You need some TIME.  Let’s hang up.  You think about what you want!  Text you list back to me at this number, and I will shop for it!”.  The silence made it feel like he was pinching himself to see if this was really happening.  I asked if he had enough gas to come to pick the groceries up, and volunteered to deliver them if he didn’t. 

A few hours later his very carefully crafted shopping list popped in.  He is using an app to plan his meals, so the items he was requesting were very specific:

            Half an avocado

            A 1 inch piece of ginger root

            Half a bunch of radish

            1/8 a cup of pine nuts

And the like.  Well, Gus, you were brave, you were vulnerable, you deserve much more than HALF AN AVOCADO!  So, I loaded up 2 heavy bags of items that I had in pantry storage and we headed out to buy the rest (and more healthy things that were not on his list but he deserved).

Let me tell you, finding Nutritional Yeast Flakes was not easy!  But the 2^nd store had them, so we were good to go!  We drove over to Gus’ place and met him.  What.  A.  Cool.  Guy!  David and I both got a great feel from him.  He was thankful and kind.  He assured us if there was anything he didn’t need he would share it with others.  I sure am glad he stopped to write a note – I am glad we got to meet him!

Nutritional Yeast Flakes, baby!!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $127.85

A neighbor recently posted in a Facebook group that she was looking for glow sticks for a “glow party” for a first grade classroom.  Well, she had me at GLOW STICKs, and I was ALL IN AT GLOW PARTY!!!  I mean, what even IS a glow party??  I wasn’t sure, but I knew I wanted to be invited!!

I told her I would hook them up then ran out shopping.  I panicked a bit when I couldn’t find glow sticks, but a clerk helped me (first she took me to the GLUE STICKS and I had to explain, no GLOW, not GLUE…).  I stocked up on all of the glow stuff I could find in 2 stores (blow necklaces, glow sticks, glow balls, glow wands – anything that had “glow” in the title went in my cart!) and dropped them off at the requestor’s home.

She contacted me after the glow party and told me that it went really well.  She said, “We really appreciate your going out and buying the glow in the dark things!  The kids voted on a “glow in the dark blanket party”, which is not something either of us teachers had ever heard of!  And of course, we were going to do the party the next day.  The lead teacher is nicer than I am, I would have either limited theme choices to stuff we could do overnight or postponed the party until Monday.  You really “saved our bacon”. “

 

1st grade GLOW PARTY!

The lead teacher sent this note to the students’ parents:  “The Glow in the Dark – Compliment Party.  Mrs. A and I were able to get some glow in the dark necklaces, bracelets, and balls.  Mrs. A. found an organization that provided our class with numerous items that the class enjoyed in the effort to celebrate their dedication to learning and kindness.  We even played a glow in the dark ball game.  How fun!  The students used their flashlights and glow sticks to read today.  Some used their blankets as tents while others held them.  The classroom looked very creative.”

Glad to do it, first graders!  Everyone should get to celebrate with a glow party (and teachers in the US should not have to spend money out of their pockets to make special events like that happen).

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $47.22

Another neighbor recently asked for an armoire in a group. 

She didn’t get the armoire, but she got a whollllle lot more.

She was looking for the armoire to solve a vexing problem, one that was delicate and probably a bit difficult to admit in public.  But it turned out when she admitted it, when she was willing to be VULNERABLE, people came out of the woodwork not only with suggestions and ideas, but with, “Us, too!  We have the same issue!!”.  All of the sudden she was not alone, plus she had creative ideas on how to try and solve the problem.

I did not have ideas to help her, but I DID have Kindness Activist funds, and time to go get her a special treat.  I left this on her doorstep:

Sometimes when you are down and having a hard day, you just need some flowers.  And chocolate.  And maybe wine.  They won’t make the difficulty go away, but they WILL remind you that there are many good things in life.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $27.41

And finally for this report, my partner David was approached at the gas station by a woman who asked for $10 to help fill her tank.  She had an old truck, which was probably a gas guzzler.  At first David said no.  But as he filled up his own tank, he had a change of heart.  Gas is really expensive right now, and people who were already living paycheck to paycheck are obviously getting hit the hardest.

He went up to the woman and asked if she needed the gas to get to work.  She said yes, she is a security guard (her logoed shirt confirmed that).  He said he would be happy to put $10 in her tank, and proceeded to do so.

When he pulled out, the woman stayed at the pump.  She was asking others to pitch in $10, too.  I hope she got enough to fill that truck up.  And I hope she made it to work on time. 

This was such a good example to me of how when everyone pitches in, things can get done.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $10.00

A Muffin

Today started, then ended, with a muffin. 

 And in between – oh in between! In between there was singing and twisting and laughing… 

But first – the muffin. 

This morning as I was rushing to get ready for work, I saw a young woman walking down the sidewalk. I noticed her coffee cup – wasn’t sure if it was from Starbucks or the local coffee shop down the street. I watched as she paused at the Little Yellow Free Pantry, opened it, stood a moment, then closed it and left. I was curious… I didn’t see anything in her hand – maybe she didn’t take anything? 

Before jumping in my car, I went to peek at the pantry. The woman had left a muffin. A beautiful, fresh muffin from the coffee shop. I marveled at how such a simple act could make me so happy. It wasn’t like she put $100 in the pantry. It wasn’t like she had cooked some fancy meal and left it. But she had actually done more than that… She had THOUGHT AHEAD. She had planned. When she ordered her coffee, she ordered a gift for a stranger – a muffin. And she placed it lovingly in the pantry so that someone ELSE could find it and have the treat. That, to me, is kindness. 

Fast forward a couple of hours. I rushed home from my assignment to find David outside in the sunshine hanging the handmade posters about the Little Yellow Pantry’s 1st birthday party all along our fence. They looked glorious! But there were chairs to move. Plastic animals to blow up. Cookies to plate. Drinks to bring outside… It was a bit overwhelming… 

Then our friends from Afghanistan showed up early! They were coming for the pantry birthday party, but came early to help us prepare. Ahhhhh, perfect! Bubble machine filled. Blanket on lawn. Big piano you play with your feet (like in the movie “Big”) rolled out. We. Were. Ready! 

Hareer and her mom hung a lot of posters!

And once the birthday guests started coming, they never stopped. It was a never-ending stream of partiers! And many brought gifts for the Little Yellow Free Pantry, too! She will be well stocked for a month or so! We played Twister. We rode the see-saw. We ate. We drank. We hoola-hooped. We made chalk art. We sang “Happy Birthday” to the pantry about a dozen times (as guests came and went). (We sang in 3 languages, and I am sure if I had asked we could’ve heard it in at least 4 more.) And we sat in the glorious sunshine and took it all in. It was SO NICE to see friends and neighbors outdoors again, laughing and singing. 

Things got a wee bit messy...

As we talked, I noticed a man at the pantry. He was squatting down, looking in the bags and boxes under the pantry – the gifts. I greeted him and explained that we were celebrating today, that the pantry was exactly 1 year old. He had put a few items in his bag, excited to see so much to choose from. I went through choices with him and he carefully made selections. “No, I have enough of that already, thank you. Oh yes, I could use that”. He told me he had visited the pantry and gotten food before. It was nice to have someone come and use the pantry quietly while the party was happening. 

People came and went. Horns were blown. Hats were worn. Chalk got everywhere. And fun was had. 

When the celebration was over and we were picking up, one young man came walking down the sidewalk. I said hello, and when he saw the signs and streamers, he asked, “Whose birthday is it?”. I pointed to the Little Yellow Free Pantry and said with glee, “That pantry’s! That pantry is one year old today!!” “Wait, what?” he said incredulously. “You threw a party for a PANTRY??”. “Of course!” I smiled and pointed to the pantry. “Would you like a snack?” “Wait, there’s FOOD in there??” he said as he opened the doors and the motion detector lights went on, illuminating his choices. He smiled as he looked, then picked up his choice. “I think I will have this muffin!”. 

Ahh yes. The muffin. A gift from a stranger, to a stranger. 

Full circle. Happy birthday Little Yellow Free Pantry. Thanks for bringing joy into our lives.

FRIENDS at the pantry

The Tuna That Changed the World

I live on a very busy corner in South Arlington, VA in a house we refer to as The Big Yellow House.  Arlington is home of the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, and if you stood on my porch and counted for a few hours, what seems like a whole of buses. 

I know that most home buyers would shy away from purchasing a home on one busy street, let alone TWO busy streets!  But we invested in this house in 1999 and have never looked back.  We love the constant motion, noise, and activity that surrounds us here.

About 10 years ago I started doing what I call “projects” outside our home.  Projects vary in nature and scope, but they have a unifying intent: to provide a prompt for community engagement.  You see, I am the type of person who could NEVER walk by a prompt without engaging!  I see a hopscotch board drawn with chalk by a neighborhood child while I am out on a walk?  I PLAY hopscotch!  I see a painted rock hidden in a flower planter??  I pick it up!  I notice the first rose of the season has bloomed?  You can bet I bend over and take a long whiff.  I walk through my world looking through a lens of engagement and activity.  And I don’t know that I realized how unique that perspective was before I began my “projects”.

It turns out that many (if not most) people seem to navigate the world in a bubble.  To me, it is as if they have blinders on.  They can walk by a prompt, a blatantly OBVIOUS prompt, and either ignore it or not see it.  It used to baffle me so much!!  I would set up a project and be super excited about it.  For example, I hung around 75 brightly colored Easter eggs (which I call “Springtime eggs” because we live in a diverse community, and I want to be respectful of all) on our chain link fence.  Each egg hung from a silk ribbon, at varying heights.  Big signs encouraged passersby to choose an egg and take it.  I would stand inside the house and peek out the front door and see people WALK BY WITHOUT STOPPING.  Some didn’t glance at the eggs swaying in the breeze, others peered out of the corner of their eye but kept moving.  Or, for another project, I hung a digital camera on our front gate with signs that explained people could use it to take photos of things that represented INSPIRATION, BEAUTY, and JOY to them.  Once again, I was incredulous at how many people could pass by such an interesting experiment and choose not to engage.  HOW?? 

I view these projects as community art.  Community building.  Social experiments.  They bring me joy and energy and I really value doing them.

So, when I started the Little Yellow Free Pantry project on March 6, 2021, I think my lens on it was that it was like all of the other projects I have hosted: it would be a chance to engage the community, and even help a few people out.

What I did NOT foresee was that this little pantry, designed to mimic Little Free Libraries, made from an Ikea storage cube, would add a dimension to my life that I hadn’t realized was missing.

The Little Yellow Free Pantry has re-energized me.  It has introduced me to new neighbors.  It has given me a renewed purpose in life.  It has helped me set higher goals for my work.  And it has brought a community together.

All with a can of tuna!

Of course, it is much more than tuna, but tuna is a definite pantry staple. 

When I started the pantry, I used Kindness Activist funds to buy materials to make it and fill it with food the first time (a $217.64 investment).  Then I introduced the pantry to the community, and the rest is history. 

Opening Day of the Little Yellow Free Pantry

The Little Yellow Free Pantry has taken on a life of its’ own!  Not only does it help feed neighbors and passersby who are experiencing food shortages, it gives purpose to neighbors who have enough food for their own tables and now have a place to share.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t bring a donation over for the pantry or contact me asking what is needed.  And because we live in such a diverse area, the donations are unique and exciting!  People bring Hispanic food, Indian food, Asian food, sometimes food I have never ever seen or tasted!! 

I LOVE THE PANTRY.  I treat it like a little shop.  I love to fill it and organize it.  I have a system – not sure if frequent visitors notice it or not.  The top shelf is typically canned goods of all types.  The bottom shelf can hold taller items – so shampoo, cake mixes, oils, etc. go there.  Rice and dried beans have homes on the bottom shelf, too.  There is a special box with note cards and a pen inside so that visitors can write down items they need and their contact information, and on top of that box I make sure there are plenty of snacks.  And I always try to keep 2 beverages in the pantry so thirsty passersby can get a drink.  I am careful to make it PRETTY – all labels facing front, so that visitors can see what is on offer and so that it looks respectable.  My partner David even installed motion detector LIGHTS that come on when people open the doors after dark, so they can see what is available.

And the items in the pantry must be GOOD.  My theory is, if I wouldn’t use it, I won’t put it in the pantry.  That doesn’t mean everything has to be things I enjoy eating, but nothing can be expired or junky looking.  I firmly believe that pantry visitors should have the same experience at the pantry as I do at the grocery store – enjoy looking at the choices and making their selections.

It is always special when I see a visitor stop at the pantry.  I love going outside and chatting with them.  The first couple of weeks I was a bit overeager and would rush out to talk to visitors, sometimes I probably scared them!  But now I let them peruse a little, then I pop out and greet them.  I asked what else they would like and explain that I have more food inside that I can bring out to them.

And the food inside the house…  Oh, there is food inside the house!!  There is a bin marked for donations on our front porch, and just about every day there are items left in it.  I carry them down to our basement in the “pantry storage area”, which keeps growing and growing…  Whenever friends who have not seen the pantry storage area see it the first time, their eyes get really big. 

Because what I have learned is that you cannot keep a little pantry FULL without having a lot of food on hand.  So, there are big shelving units in the basement stocked with items – peanut butter, jelly, cake mixes, tea, cereal, toiletries, pasta, canned meats, vegetables, and fruit…  All items are sorted by type of food so that it is easy to find what is needed to put outside.  When I started this project I had no concept of how much food would be needed to maintain it.  The pantry itself looks tiny – but keeping it full takes a LOT of food.

Peanut Butter is a pantry staple

Canned vegetables 

It also takes a lot of TIME.  That is something I hadn’t much considered when I started, either.  I mean, how hard can it be to put cans of veggies into a little pantry??  But checking the pantry is one of the first things I do every morning (sometimes in my pj s) and one of the last things I do each night (and many times in between). 

I have also realized that people depend on the pantry now for nourishment.  There are regulars who come and “shop”, and many people drop in when they need to.  And because they depend on it, I can’t let it go unattended.  That means when I go on vacation and am out of town, I need to find other people to maintain it.  That’s where the PANTRY CREW comes in!   The crew is a group of very sweet, trusted friends who take turns filling the pantry up when I am not around to do it.  Some of them have children that they bring along to assist.  I love that – those kids are learning kindness firsthand!  And they are great helpers.  In fact, two of them (and their mother) came over this week and split 40 pounds of donated rice into smaller seal bags for distribution. 

And not only neighbors are generous with their pantry donations.  A local pie shop has donated gift certificates for PIE, and the local Trader Joe’s has been very, very supportive in donating much needed items!  What I find so amazing is that I didn’t even ASK Trader Joe’s to help.  Mind you, I love Trader Joe’s and that is where we do the vast majority of our grocery shopping, but THEY reached out to ME when they saw the pantry and asked if they could do anything to help! 

Trader Joe's Clarendon's most recent donations!  Crackers, honey, coffee, and almond milk

Eventually I may work up the nerve to ask some other local businesses if they would like to donate.  It would be amazing to have gift cards for a couple of local restaurants or the local coffee shop to give to pantry visitors.  But for now it is NEIGHBORS who generously fill the pantry needs.  One of my favorite things about this project is that it allows EVERYONE who wants to to be involved.  It is easy to pick up an extra bag of sugar to give to the pantry while you are doing your shopping.  One neighbor baked bread for the pantry.  Neighbors who are on limited incomes and receive food from a local food bank sometimes sort through their cupboards and donate the items their families will not eat.  And when I put out a call for specific things the pantry is low on, neighbors respond en mass with bags and boxes of whatever was asked for.  It.  Is.  Beautiful.  And so inspiring. 

So yes, this project turned into more than I ever imagined.  It takes much more work than I expected.  It takes loads of time that I didn’t anticipate.  But even more so, it brings more joy, focus, and clarity to my life than I have had in a while.  It give me, and the community that supports it, a purpose.  We have something tangible to rally around. 

All because of cans of tuna…

As of today, February 18, 2022, the pantry is low on:

-         Canned meat (tuna, Spam, chicken, salmon, oysters, any meat)

-         Jelly

-         Cookies

-         Maseca (flour used to make tortillas)

-         Feminine hygiene products

-         Canned fruit

-         Bags of sugar

-         Grocery store gift cards are always welcome

Thank you to all who have supported this effort.  The people who help stock when I am gone.  The people who donate.  The people who visit and get food.  And the people who honk and wave when they see me outside filling the pantry.

And maybe a can of tuna can't change the world.  But it CAN change a mindset.  And a dinner.  And a community.  

And that’s good enough for me.

To read about the camera project mentioned in this piece, go to: Inspiration, Beauty, and Joy

To read a previous piece about the Little Yellow Free Pantry, visit:  Day 20