Give-and-take
Pine Pantry program offers simple way to donate, to get help
The founder of a unique food outreach thought its simple premise wouldn’t catch on: “Leave what you can. Take what you need.” To Aley Cristelli’s delight, Pine Pantry has not only captured the community’s attention, it has grown beyond her initial expectations as the outreach prepares to mark its one-year anniversary in June.
People like JJ Hawkey, of Edmond, help stock Pine Pantry food closets throughout the metro area with canned foods and other nonperishables. Cristelli had a carpenter make the water-treated cedar cabinets that have been placed in
the Plaza District and outside Sunnyside Diner locations in south Oklahoma City and northwest Oklahoma City.
A fourth Pine Pantry was installed in March near the Bradford Village senior living community in Edmond. Individuals experiencing hunger and other life challenges may take food and toiletry items from the Pine Pantry cabinets, as needed.
For people like Daniel Gonzalez, out of work and unsure where he will sleep each night, the food closet outreach has been a welcome addition to the community’s support network and safety net.
“In all honesty, I think it’s a great idea. There’s certain days — two or three days — where I go without eating,” Gonzalez said as he looked through the Pine Pantry closet outside Bad Granny’s Bazaar near NW 16 and Indiana.
“I don’t have a job, but I’m looking for work. This has helped me.”
Gesture of love
Pine Pantry’s straightforward premise is based on Cristelli’s memories of her childhood Christmases when she joined her grandmother to distribute plates piled high with food to neighbors and people in need.
The Nebraska native said for many people like her grandmother, giving food is a gesture of love.
She said she got the idea for Pine Pantry from reading on the internet about similar outreach programs in other areas of the country.
The first Pine Pantry was placed in the Plaza District near Sasquatch Ice. That food closet was relocated to the sidewalk outside Bad Granny’s Bazaar after the shaved ice business moved to another part of the district.
Cristelli said she relied on people in the Plaza District and other supporters and friends to get the word out about the new food pantry.
When she passed by the cabinet and saw items on the shelves, she worried that people would not realize that the food was available for the taking.
In fact, Gonzalez said he did initially walk by the pantry thinking he had to pay for the food, but someone in the Plaza District led him there again and encouraged him to grab something to eat.
Spreading the word
Cristelli said she also worried when she stopped at the cabinet and saw that it was low on supplies.
To her relief, the idea caught hold and people around the community began to bring donations while those in need of aid began perusing the Pine Pantry for items they needed. She said word has spread through social media, and people who have taken items from the food closets have told others about the program.
One woman sent Cristelli a message on Facebook telling about how she and her husband got food from a Pine Pantry after they both lost their jobs.
Cristelli said she was happy to learn that the woman and her husband began donating to the pantry after they both found employment again.
Cristelli said Sunnyside Diner representatives contacted her and asked that she place other food closets near their restaurants.
She was happy to oblige and envisions at least one more Pine Pantry cabinet being installed near one of the diners in the near future.
One of the aspects of the outreach that is appealing to donors is that it is easy to make a donation.
“I donate to Pine Pantry because it’s accessible at all hours, and I can see that the pantries are being used. Since the pantries are open access, anyone can donate and anyone can take. No signing up for anything or questions asked,” said Hawkey, who donates often.
“I’m inspired by how much the community has stepped up to help those who deal with food insecurity and lack of basic resources.”
Meanwhile, Cristelli said she has noticed that people stock the Pine Pantry closets with staples like canned vegetables and canned pasta like SpaghettiOs. On a recent weekday, the Plaza District cabinet included canned green beans, cans of chicken noodle soup, canned beans, fruit cups, plus toiletry items like body lotion.
She is hoping people make plans to donate to the outreach during the summer months, which can be critical for some families facing hard times.
She said donations of ready-to-eat foods such as fruit cups and granola
bars would be good items to place in the pantry cabinets, particularly for people experiencing homelessness.
Bottled water and sunscreen (perhaps travel size) also would help the homeless and others beat the summer heat.