by Patricia Stordeur
You have seen the free little libraries that have popped up on our streets providing a fun way to swap reading materials with your neighbors, but have you seen the little pantries filled with food and other essentials proudly taking their place alongside them? I spoke with the Haller Lake residents hosting three such pantries in our neighborhood to find out what motivated them to start and how it’s been going since.
On Densmore Avenue, just north of Roosevelt Way, a tinkerer read an article about food pantries in the Seattle Times and decided to build his own with scrap materials in his shop. More neighbors got together and decided on the best location for the pantry. Now they regularly contribute to keep it full. Even a neighbor from a few blocks away drops off several bags of groceries a week to supply the pantry. Addressing food insecurity is personal to him because, “he’s been there.” One of the Densmore residents, who preferred her name not be included in this article, has a clear view of the pantry from her front window. She takes time to select a nice variety of items for the pantry and fulfills some specific requests from the overflow of donated items she stores inside her house. From her interactions with the pantry’s visitors, she knows that they are not just browsing. Their hunger is real. She has witnessed items being consumed on the spot. She has learned that businesses along Aurora are willing to provide hot water when asked, and therefore packaged foods like instant noodle or rice meals and hot chocolate are the most popular items.
Karla lives on the property in between the Haller Lake United Methodist Church and the P-Patch on First Avenue. She has always wanted a food pantry and thought the summer of 2020, in the midst of a pandemic with the tents of United We Stand close by, was a very good time to get one. It has been a source of joy to her family during this challenging time. She purchased her pantry online with a personal investment of around $300, with help from her family to install it. Haller Lake United Methodist ran a food drive over the holidays to support the pantry. Other neighbors drop off items regularly; she has a green basket on her porch for the overflow. Books started to appear as well and turn over as frequently as the food items. She has been happily surprised that the pantry stays clean and she does not have additional trash to pick up because of it. As a foster and adoptive mom, she knows her kids have firsthand experience with adversity. Even so, the proximity of housing and food insecurities has prompted conversations with the younger children who might have found the idea of living in a tent fun at first.
Now they compete for the privilege to help stock the food pantry. Karla has found that the pantry makes her question her own assumptions, as she has watched individuals she expected to be consumers pull a can of food from their belongings to donate instead. It has reinforced the lesson she learned from her father, who recently passed, that it is always possible to find a way to give no matter what your financial situation.
J.C. enjoys building things. She built her pantry from scratch with leftover items from her workshop and some contributions from her neighbors. Hers is the newest of the three pantries, debuting February 2021, located on Meridian Avenue just north of 135th. J.C. and her daughter volunteered at the Ballard Food Bank before the pandemic began and were looking for a way to continue their tradition of giving back. J.C. says that the items in her pantry turn over each day, and it is somewhat of a fun mystery for her how that happens. She knows her neighbors fully support the endeavor, and occasionally they may trade out a particular item needed for a recipe. She offers to help anyone in Haller Lake build a similar pantry of his or her own.
North Helpline operates the two closest foods banks to our neighborhood. The main location is in Lake City (12736 33rd Ave NE) and the other is in Bitter Lake (13000 Linden Ave N). The quantity and selection of items available at a food bank will surpass what can fit in a little free pantry; however, these pantries are filling crucial voids that the food banks cannot. They are available every day, all day, with no lines and no forms to complete. They offer the convenience to pick up just what you need and what you can carry for that day. And they do not require human interaction. In these simple ways, they remove potential barriers for people who are food insecure. The Haller Lake Buy Nothing group has been another source of emergency assistance for those in need. Requests for food and other kinds of assistance receive positive responses from our neighbors almost immediately.
Jessica noticed that she would often buy items intending to donate them but had difficulty prioritizing a trip for a small donation, especially when she was weighing the importance of each trip with current medical advice. Food banks were forced to curtail donation hours in response to the pandemic as well. She thought others must find themselves in a similar situation, so she posted laminated signs around the neighborhood offering a pick-up and delivery service to the Bitter Lake Food Bank. At the end of the month, she picks up donations from as many as ten neighbors. Her experience with the food drive has confirmed her belief that the positive energy you send out will find its way back to you. Her four-year-old son accompanies her, watches, and learns. He knows the “kind lady” who remembers treats for him along with her food bank donation. Even at four years of age, Jessica says there is no shielding her son from the encampments and other signs of the economic disparities in Seattle. Instead, she has started a dialogue with him about their privilege to live in a house. Others are not as lucky as they are so it is their job to help where they can. Jessica wants to raise her son to be a helper. The relationships she has formed with the food drive participants have also helped her deal with her feelings of hopelessness during the pandemic, reminding her there is always something we can do to address even the most insurmountable problems.
I love this! Fabulous article and truly and amazing service these neighbors are providing the community!
ReplyDeleteWonderful article Patricia! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAmazing things these neighbors are doing! Thank you for capturing it, Patricia.
ReplyDeleteAwesome article Patricia!
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Patricia! Thank you!
ReplyDelete