Little Free Pantry

= free food distribution, started in Fayetteville, Arkansas

URL = http://www.littlefreepantry.org/

Description

Cat Johnson:

"Jessica McClard’s idea is simple: rather than leaving or taking a book, people leave and take non-perishable food and household goods, including toothpaste, garbage bags, deodorant and toilet paper. Those with surplus supplies leave them and those in need are welcome to take them.

The project is brand new and gauging its ongoing success will take time, but support for the pantry was immediate. On its first day, the Little Free Pantry Facebook Page received more than 800 “likes.” (http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-first-little-free-pantry-pops-up-in-arkansas-inspired-by-little-free-libraries)

Interview

Interview of creator Jessica McClard conducted by Cat Johnson:

* What inspired the Little Free Pantry?

I’m a runner and a reader. I ran past Little Free Libraries all the time and really started to wonder what it was that is compelling about the program because it clearly was. It seemed like there was a time when they were multiplying like crazy where I live. I knew there was something about that project that speaks to people and I wondered if it would be possible to address other quality of life issues using that same concept.

* What was the initial response to the Little Free Pantry?

I saw a response almost immediately. I thought there would be some interest in the project because of the interest in the Little Free Libraries, but I didn’t anticipate the magnitude of the response. On the Little Free Pantry Facebook page, I’ve gotten 8,300 likes. The first weekend we looked at the Facebook metrics where you can see what your reach is, it was almost one million people. It was overwhelming almost immediately.

I got a call from the news station the day after I first stocked it. There was so much more attention with the online presence and what was happening through social media than there was at the Pantry. There was a lot of attention, but the food I had put into the pantry stayed there because word hadn’t gotten out yet to the community that this was available. It took another day before people found the pantry.

Since that time, it’s turning over at least six times a day. What I didn’t anticipate was how great the demand would be for it." (http://www.shareable.net/blog/inside-the-little-free-pantry-a-qa-with-its-creator)