New ‘Little Free Food Pantry’ at Healdsburg Church

There’s a tiny new food pantry in town! It’s based on the “little free library” concept, but for food — and it just opened in the front yard of the Healdsburg Community Church along University Avenue, right across from the high school and elementary school. “The small wooden house structure, similar to the tiny libraries throughout town… is stocked with non-perishable food items that are available for anyone to take as needed,” says an announcement from the church. “Everyone is also invited to contribute to the Tiny Pantry. Community members can drop off non-perishable items directly to the pantry at any time, ensuring the items fit in the Pantry and are not left on the ground.” This new resource is somewhat reminiscent of the “farm-acy carts” that local food-justice nonprofit Farm to Pantry has been setting up around Healdsburg — only smaller, and without the super fresh stuff. “We envision this as a supplement to the good work being done by Healdsburg Food Pantry, Corazon, and other organizations that distribute food,” says one of the church’s pastors, Rev. Dean Kladder. “If a kid walking home from school knows there isn’t anything at home, they can grab a snack. If someone needs some food to make it until the next paycheck, they can grab what they need. The pantry is also available at all hours, so it’s a resource for someone who can’t make it to a particular food distribution.” (Source: Little Free Pantry & Healdsburg Community Church via Mailchimp)