Little Free Pantry Movement

The Little Free Pantry Movement was launched by Jessica McLard in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Inspired by the Little Free Library boxes that dotted her neighborhood, McLard decided to adapt the book-sharing model for the purpose of sharing food. In May 2016, with a USD 250 mini-grant and the go-ahead from her pastor, she installed a mini-pantry on the grounds of her church and created a Facebook page to raise awareness of her project. Local media picked up the story, and soon a second mini-pantry appeared across town. Within a few months, more than 100 Little Free Pantries had popped up across the country – often near churches, but also in front of businesses and homes. Today, the LFP website maintains an interactive map that pins more than 2,000 registered mini-pantries in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Little Free Pantries fill an important gap in the scope of material resources available to vulnerable populations. Freely accessible around the clock, LFPs offer a safety net when brick-and-mortar food pantries are closed. Further, with no means-testing or proof-of-residency requirements, LFPs serve many who are experiencing food insecurity but do not qualify for government-funded assistance. Allowing recipients to remain anonymous also removes a significant barrier for those who may be reluctant to ask for help. 

As her project took off, McLard was most surprised by the rate at which her own mini-pantry continued to empty, revealing the depth of need in her community. Still, as friends and neighbors pitched in to help keep the pantry stocked, the cost of running it became manageable, and collective participation brought its own rewards. Indeed, while LFPs play a real part in alleviating material scarcity at the local level, McClard attributes the success of the movement to the way each mini-pantry becomes the hub of a micro-community, a space for people to be neighborly again. "As much as we need food, we need connection," she explained to Today. "Many of us need to give. A lot of times, that need gets marginalized, but we all need one another."

Contributor: Erin Brown