Little Free Pantries

Our society’s focus on profits for a handful of people at the expense of everyone else’s wellbeing has taken a huge toll on our communities. One example of this is the amount of food insecurity here in the QCA. Our Mutual Aid Working Group wants to help fight food insecurity with our Little Free Pantry project. A Little Free Pantry is a freestanding outdoor cabinet where community members can share non-perishable food, personal care items, cleaning supplies, and vital household items such as can openers.

Davenport

  • Locust Street and Division Street (Jumpin’ Joey’s)(damaged)
  • Mississippi Avenue and West Locust (in community garden)
  • High Street and Bridge Avenue (Parking lot behind Grace Lutheran Church)
  • 6th Street and Brown (near Place of Refuge Church)
  • Division Street and Central Park Drive (Newcomb Presbyterian Church)
  • 2931 West Locust (MCC Church next to O’Reilly Auto Parts)
  • Iowa Street and Kirkwood Blvd (across street from 1st Presbyterian Church)
  • Minnie Fridge (1220 Minnie Ave; Roosevelt Community Center, access is from back parking lot from 7AM-7PM)

Rock Island

  • 1820 5th Avenue (Two Rivers Methodist Church, 2nd parking lot behind church building)
  • 7th Avenue and 45th Street (St John Lutheran Church – has separate cabinet for school and art supplies, hygiene needs, new socks and underwear, etc)

Moline

  • 3324 41st Street (Hope UCC – Has a sign stating donors should contact the churches office first)

Why Little Free Pantries? They allow people to donate and pick up items anonymously, 24 hours a day. They are not a replacement for traditional indoor food banks, but can help fill gaps in that system for people who don’t live near one, are not able to wait in line, are not available during food bank hours, can only transport a few items at a time, are experiencing homelessness or live in a place where cooking is not practical, have issues such as anxiety which can make using a traditional food bank difficult, or just need to cover a meal or two until other assistance is available. In order to make this project a reality, we need materials to build the pantry boxes and food/supplies with which to fill them.

 

Quad Cities DSA