Citizen group brings concept to Hortonville
By John Faucher
According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, “More than 37 million people struggle with hunger in the United States, including 11 million children.”
Three village of Hortonville residents recently joined together to do something locally to help curb food insecurity.
Stephanie Bogart heard about the success of Little Free Pantry movements in other cities. It’s similar to the Little Free Library book sharing project where people donate used books in specially designed outdoor neighborhood book shelves.
Little Free Pantry uses the same concept but its shelves are stocked with non-perishable food items instead of books.
Bogart approached Julie Arendt Vanden Heuvel and Brittany Markey with the idea.
The three began looking at possible locations in Hortonville.
“We’ve found that several other Little Free Pantries are outdoors, so they’re dealing with changing weather conditions and are limited with the types of items they can stock,” said Arendt Vanden Heuvel.
They realized having a climate controlled environment would allow them to keep items such as canned goods stocked year-round without the fear of freezing.
They decided to approach the village board and ask permission to put a little free pantry in the Municipal Services Building.
The three volunteers said they would personally be responsible for the upkeep of the pantry.
The village agreed to let them try it.
Municipal Services Building
The pantry is located in the corridor of the Municipal Services Building near the police department safe room entry.
“We’re simply using a safe, climate controlled public location,” said Arendt Vanden Heuvel. “The location is open to the public 24/7. We’re hoping that people feel safe any time of the day or night to get items as they need.”
The pantry opened up two weeks ago and has seen some use already according to Markey.
“We just felt like there was a need here if there were people in town who couldn’t get a ride to a pantry out of town,” said Markey.
Pilot tests around the country have also found that LFPs can help to dissolve that fear some residents may have about using a regular food pantry. LFPs address food insecurity and can become a safety net for those who fall through the cracks in a traditional system.
“You don’t have to sign up and it’s completely anonymous,” said Markey. “Hortonville’s Little Free Pantry is available 24/7, 365 days a year.”
“We just keep making sure it’s filled up,” said Markey. “We’re here at least two or three times a week to fill it up if it needs to be filled up.”
Arendt Vanden Heuvel said anyone can donate to the Little Free Pantry.
“We’re hopeful that it’ll be self-sufficient. Anyone wishing to donate can simply leave non-perishables inside. If a group is looking to donate beyond our cabinet capacity, one of the three of us will store the items and then place them in the pantry when space is available,” said Arendt Vanden Heuvel.
Pantry on Facebook
The group has created a Facebook page to keep interested parties in the loop.
She’s also submitted a request for the location to be posted on the national FLP website.
Residents can use Facebook to communicate needs and offerings.
“We’re also hopeful that our Facebook page will be a place for people to find items if they’re in need,” said Arendt Vanden Heuvel.
The three volunteers can also be reached via email at [email protected].
Items suggested for donation include boxed or canned food items, unopened toiletries and personal care items, paper goods, school supplies, snacks for children, and unopened nonperishable baby items. Perishable foods, meats, bakery and produce cannot be accepted.
When asked if the three plan to expand the project into other areas of the village, Arendt Vanden Heuvel said not at this time, however new ideas are always welcomed.
“I’d bet we can find a way to make it work,” said Arendt Vanden Heuvel. “I’m hopeful that this might motivate others to do similar pantries.”