After one summer, students at Westmount are hoping to see their Little Free Pantries continue to thrive, but they hope to clear up some confusion that has emerged around their project.
Grade 6 students at Westmount School built Little Free Pantries last year as a way of putting small-scale food bank collections in Okotoks neighbourhoods. The pantries are located at the entrance to Lions Park Campground in the south end of town and near the fire hall on Milligan Drive in the north end.
The project saw students develop the concept and plan out every aspect of the Little Free Pantry, from building the boxes themselves, advertising their work to stocking the shelves. Over the summer, students and their families tended to the box hear the campground, while Okotoks firefighters monitored the one on Milligan Drive.
Ireland Casey, now in Grade 7, said she was happy with how the pantry project went over the summer, though there was some confusion on behalf of community members.
“The pantries were continuously being filled with books and being confused with the Little Free Libraries,” said Casey.
She said the first time she and her mother checked the pantry there was no food inside, but a few books instead. They took the books to a Little Free Library and had the pantry restocked, said Casey.
When they went to check a few weeks later, the pantry was filled with food and there were books stacked on top of the food items, she said. One student reported garbage being found inside the Little Free Pantry, Casey added.
All in all though, she said the pantries are off to a good start and have been getting a lot of support from the community.
“People were really supportive of the pantries from the start, and it’s just sort of fading out and that’s something we don’t want to see,” said Casey. “We want to see it continue to be something that is by the community and for the community.”
Though the idea is to have the community add items to the pantries to keep them full, the Westmount students partnered with the Okotoks Food Bank, which has offered to help restock shelves if ever they are empty.
Okotoks Food Bank executive director Sheila Hughes said she thought the first summer for the pantries went very well, and the shelves were kept full by community members for the most part.
“We did get a call probably late August asking for some help topping them up, so we added another 120 pounds of food and non-food items to both of them at that time,” said Hughes.
She said it appeared as though the pantries were well-used, particularly the one near Lions Park. Westmount families were topping them up regularly, which was evidence of their use, she said.
“They were successful,” said Hughes. “It’s a really good start for something that’s a brand-new program.”
As winter approaches, she said it’s important residents are mindful of what they place in the outdoor Little Free Pantries.
Hughes said glass or canned items should not be put in the pantry in cold weather.
“There’s a good chance they’ll freeze and break or pop, or they will have some trouble with the quality of the food,” said Hughes.
Instead, she recommends people fill the shelves with dry goods like pastas, granola bars, rice, meal helpers like Sidekicks or Hamburger Helper, or cereals. She said non-food items like shampoo and conditioner, diapers and other personal hygiene items are also recommended.
Hughes said the Little Free Pantries can be a big help for families struggling on days the Help Yourself shelves aren’t open at the food bank, like Mondays.
“It’s really nice for anybody to know they can pop down to those and pick up something they need,” said Hughes.
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