Over the past few years, you may have seen photos of long lines of plastic grocery bags hanging on fences around central Pa.
These bags hold milk, bread and other essentials, free for the taking thanks to an initiative called Free Milk Sunday, Inc.
Gary Grant—aka “The Community Milkman”—started this outreach at the beginning of the pandemic.
“I saw these pictures of fruits and vegetables hanging on the fence in a community in Germany,” he said. “I said, ‘This would be a really good idea.’”
He hung the first bags in his neighborhood near Memorial Park in Carlisle.
“It was easy to get to,” he said. “People could drive or walk.”
At first, Grant worked alone, all of the milk and bread funded by Relax and Ride Carlisle, the shuttle service he owns. And, he admits, back then, it was both about helping people and about keeping his COVID-impacted business in the community eye.
Eventually, he began getting donations from local grocery stores and food banks and wanted to expand to other sites. He needed more help, and it came from some folks who were on the receiving end of those little bags of blessings.
Kathy Topper responded after she saw a Facebook post requesting volunteers, but she also needed milk.
“I was like, ‘I could really use it,’” she said. “I don’t get paid until next week.”
Sherry Wileman found herself in a similar situation. She also was able to benefit from the service,
“It was awesome because I don’t qualify for any kind of help,” Wileman said.
Now, Grant calls both Topper and Wileman his foot soldiers.
“They get all the credit,” he said. “Without them, this doesn’t go anywhere.”
Grant has two other dedicated volunteers who distribute bread to six different locations, four in Harrisburg, one in Carlisle and one in Newville. The Harrisburg and Newville locations get a delivery about once a month and Carlisle twice a month, costing about $300 per site.
One of those locations is Downey Elementary School in Harrisburg.
There, Angela Gillis picked up her bread, milk and the unexpected eggs.
“There’s eggs? Hallelujah!” she exclaimed.
She said that the food helps her budget. She and her neighbors were very excited when the bags first showed up and are happy that they continue to arrive on the fence.
“Tell the Community Milkman, ‘thank you,’” she said.
A Blessing
Recipients often express gratitude for the food. In fact, the bags have created a community themselves.
“It’s nice to meet different people,” Wileman said.
They received cards at Christmastime, and one woman knitted stockings for the group. She also provided knitted hats that they placed on the fences for folks. Wileman said that one community member told them her husband was ill.
“So, we scrambled to get baby food and soft stuff,” Wileman said. “We would make a special bag for him. He’s passed, but we were also a support for her.”
Grant said that the groceries assist those who make too much money for assistance, but not enough to always meet their needs. They’re categorized by the United Way as ALICE—”Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.”
“It’s hard to ask for help,” Wileman said.
Grant likes the idea that people don’t have to fill out forms or present an ID to get help. They just walk up to the fence and help themselves.
“There’s a lot of people who are in between,” Topper said. “So, you pay your bills, milk and bread is $3. That $3 can go in my gas tank.”
Free Milk Sunday’s core groceries include milk, bread, eggs and cereal. When available through food bank donations, bags may offer peanut butter or other food. He added that his organization recently received 501(c)3 nonprofit status.
“We have plans,” he said.
Gary Grant
His goal is to provide bags for all six locations every week. He wants to be smart about it and grow incrementally.
“We’re going to do it methodically,” he said. “Just financially, we want to make sure we’re doing it the right way.”
Right now, they distribute about 30 bags per site a week. In its four years, Free Milk Sunday has distributed over 15,000 half gallons of milk and an equal amount of bread.
Grant is looking for businesses and individuals to participate in the cause by providing monetary or in-kind donations.
“We would love companies to sponsor a Sunday,” Grant said.
So, out of COVID came an unexpected community resource and vocation.
“I won’t ever stop doing this in my business because I feel like we are really making an impact on the community,” Grant said.
He’s spreading the gospel of Free Milk Sunday through his business, as well. Each of his drivers will have fliers about the organization.
“In life, everything is a blessing,” Grant said. “I’ve been blessed every single day in my business. So, I want to bless the people.”
For more information on Free Milk Sunday, visit the Facebook page: Community Milkman.
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