Community Pantry
Volunteers in Westchester are providing food to those in need By Haley Beyer After seeing a newspaper article about the Fridge Project, a series of community-run fridges across the city that provided free food to the public, Westchester resident and YMCA board member John Sharpe knew he had to follow suit. To help combat the growing food insecurity problem in his community, he founded the Painted Pantry Project. He decided against a fridge program because he did not want to include perishable food during his first go-around. The community pantry officially opened on Feb. 8 and will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the Westchester Family YMCA. Sharpe began by collecting donations from his friends and community members at his house in January so the pantry would be fully stocked when it opened. Donations are accepted at the YMCA from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. The team is hoping to partner with other organizations around the community to create more donation sites. At the opening ceremony, the team celebrated the pantry while following COVID-19 regulations. Instead of cutting a big ribbon, each person in attendance was given a miniature ribbon. They were asked to write messages of unity and hope on the ribbons before tying them on the fence surrounding the pantry. The only way for the Painted Pantry Project to...
Read More