Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Mini But Mighty: Community members find a tiny way to combat food insecurity in their neighborhoods

From left, Eliana Roof, Olivia Long, Kara Bidgood Enders and Jennifer Turner Long.
Photo courtesy of Long Shots Photography

They’re popping up outside businesses, churches and on street corners.

Newspaper street boxes, metal lockers and even large mailboxes have been converted into cupboards. Tucked inside are granola bars, cereal boxes and cans of fruit. You might have missed these tiny food pantries or passed one on the street without noticing. But for those who need them, they find them.

For the past few years, local community members have opened these little community pantries. They serve as drop boxes, where people who have extra can leave a little something for those in need to pick up. In and around the Harrisburg area, the pantries have become an innovative way for neighbors to get food into hungry hands.

Peter Leonard, the CEO of Little Amps Coffee Roasters in Harrisburg, is used to feeding people. But last year, he wanted to find another way to do that and help those who couldn’t afford to purchase food. Inspired by coffee shops he saw in cities like Philadelphia and New York, Leonard set up the “Green Street Community Pantry” outside Little Amps’ Midtown location.

“It’s truly intended to be a community pantry,” he said. “Anyone should be able to use it, whether that’s to stock it or to take from it.”

Little Amps relies on the neighboring Midtown community to fill the metal locker with food. While the coffee shop set up the cupboard, it’s meant to be the community’s, Leonard explained, and residents have stepped up to the plate. He knows of several people who will regularly fill the pantry.

“It’s fulfilling to see the community engaging in it,” he said.

 

Innovative Aid

You may say the mini food pantry is the cousin of the little free library. James Lyles, president of Youth 10x Better Ministries, had several little libraries located throughout Harrisburg’s Allison Hill, Uptown and Midtown neighborhoods, as well as in Steelton.

When the pandemic hit, Lyles decided to swap the books for food. He now has over 10 mini pantries throughout the city.

“Everybody was on lockdown,” he said. “For people that couldn’t get out to get food, they could go there.”

During the height of COVID, he included items like masks and hand sanitizer alongside the food. Even with the most dangerous days of the pandemic behind us, Lyles and volunteer community members still fill the pantries regularly. The need hasn’t stopped, he said.

Lyles remembers a man telling him that he and his wife took food from the pantry during a time of need. Stories like that are what keep him going.

“That lets me know that it’s worth it,” he said.

Across the Susquehanna River, several high school students saw the same need for food in their community. Students at The Studio dance school in Enola recently planned for and constructed a mini food pantry.

As part of The Studio’s student leaders program, dancers are encouraged to find ways to serve. In the past, they’ve participated in trash cleanups, collected winter clothing for people in need and assisted with local parades. While discussing new ways to conduct outreach at a meeting, students decided on a food pantry.

“Food insecurity is a big issue,” said Kara Bidgood Enders, a high school senior. “I see it within my own school.”

Eleventh-grader Eliana Roof, who attends Dauphin County Technical School for its construction program, took the lead on the pantry.

“I saw it as an opportunity to be a part of that project,” she said.

For the next few weeks, Roof built the pantry during shop class at school with the help of her teacher, Robert Brightbill. This summer, they set it up outside The Studio and filled it with nonperishables.

Since then, the students have already seen the difference it’s made. Items have already emptied out, and community members have refilled the box. With classes restarting at The Studio for the fall, owner Jennifer Turner Long expects lots of donations from students and their families.

“This group of kids is very thoughtful and large of heart, and the families go above and beyond,” she said.

For the student leaders at The Studio, their mini pantry project has given them a chance to make a difference in their community.

“It’s rewarding,” said 11th-grader Olivia Long. “I didn’t expect it to be as successful as it is. To see it’s helping others and working—it’s nice to see.”

 

Give and Take

While Harrisburg has several large food banks where people can pick up items for weekly meals, the mini pantries provide an easy grab-and-go option.

According to Cindy Harbert, an administrator at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral on N. Front Street, transportation can be a barrier for people trying to get to food banks. The mini pantries offer a nearby resource to those in the neighborhood. The small food items can also easily fit in a backpack, for those who may be experiencing homelessness.

St. Stephen’s saw a need for this service over the years, after noticing the amount of unhoused residents who walked along N. Front Street.

“This was a way that we could serve those on the street,” Harbert said. “It’s really to serve the underserved population.”

The cathedral knew it didn’t have the resources to operate a full-sized food bank, so members decided to do what they could. About five years ago, they opened their “Blessing Box.”

The congregation stocks the pantry regularly with food, hygiene items and, in the winter, gloves and hats. Every time they fill it, it’s emptied quickly after.

“It certainly serves a need,” Harbert said. “All are welcome, regardless of your circumstances.”

For those interested in donating to a local mini pantry, Leonard of Little Amps recommends items that can be immediately consumed, like granola bars, drinks or other snacks.

“Don’t assume people have access to cooking materials,” he said.

Canned veggies are an item that is frequently donated, but often left on the pantries’ shelves. The Green Street Community Pantry has been flooded with green beans, so Leonard advises steering away from those. Anything that’s been in the back of your cabinet for years, no one else will want to eat either, he advised.

Personal care items are always a need, as well.

When it comes down to it, Leonard and others overseeing pantries are hopeful that it can truly be a “take what you need, leave what you can” operation.

“It’s our responsibility,” he said. “If you have an abundance, share it.”

The Green Street Community Pantry is located at 1836 Green St., Harrisburg. For more information about Little Amps Coffee Roasters, visit www.littleampscoffee.com.

Youth 10x Better Ministries has mini food pantries at locations around Harrisburg. For more information, visit their Facebook page. 

The Studio and its mini pantry are located at 427 N. Enola Rd., Enola. For more information, visit www.summerdaledance.com.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral and its mini pantry are located at 221 N. Front St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.ststephenshbg.org.  

 

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