Little libraries fill with pantry items
Little Free Libraries in the Bay Area, once a charming home for dogeared Tom Clancy novels or an extra copy of “Goodnight Moon,” are turning into coronavirus supply stations — filling with food, soap and rolls of that most soughtafter item: toilet paper.
The local libraries reflect a national trend, according to officials from the nonprofit that started the program, who noticed a shift beginning more than a week ago. Along with staples aimed toward survival, items for selfmedicating have showed up as well, including Girl Scout cookies and at least one small bottle of Jack Daniel’s bourbon.
Linda Cazares of Alameda converted her free library to a pantry a few days ago, after remembering a coffee shop in San Diego, near a large homeless population, which had two library boxes — one for books and one for food.
“I feel so hopeless, and not able to do anything for people,” Cazares said. “If somebody is in need then they know it’s here, and I know this community will keep on keeping it full.”
After a photo of her pantry was shared by The Chronicle on social media, readers came forward reporting similar pantries in San Francisco, San Mateo, Hayward and Napa.
The Little Free Library program began in Hudson, Wis., in 2009, when resident Todd Bol built a model of a oneroom schoolhouse on a post in his front yard, and filled it with books as a tribute to his teacher mother. The nonprofit now reports more than 100,000 libraries in more than 100 countries.
Little Free Library executive director M. Greig Metzger said the move toward coronavirus crisis help has happened organically, with no announcement from the organization.
“Their DNA is about sharing and helping others in their community,” Metzger said by phone on Sunday from his Wisconsin home. “It’s no surprise that this is happening at all, in my mind. And it’s a credit to very caring individuals who want to help the best
they can.”
In Napa, Kristin Ranuio was already considering shutting down her Little Free Library, fearing that the passing of books might be unwise with the coronavirus spreading. Instead, she added rice, protein bars and — after receiving a large shipment early from Amazon — rolls of toilet paper.
Ranuio said after multiple tragedies in Napa including the Tubbs Fire in 2017, she was already stocked up for a disaster, and her community is battletested and ready to help each other out.
“We’ve had fire, earthquake, drought, and now this all just in the last six years,” Ranuio said. “We’re pretty damned resilient.”
Ranuio left written instructions on her library to leave only sealed products, after sanitizing and washing hands. Metzger said it’s up to individual library stewards to take the steps they feel comfortable to make their Little Free Libraries seem safe while the coronavirus spreads.
“We’ve actually had a steward who has been sanitizing their books and wrapping them in brown paper and putting them in their Little Free Library,” Metzger said.
Metzger also wrote a blog post last week, illustrated with an Illinois library pantry filled with toilet paper, recommending that library stewards sharing food think about mounting a larger campaign for their food bank or another community organization.
Cazares, who manages a 200unit housing cooperative in Alameda, said her Little Free Library is a microcosm of a larger program at the complex, where volunteers are checking in on older residents. She plans to begin distributing larger quantities of food and personal care products at her office entrance.
“We have a large elderly community there, and we’re trying to stay on top of it and make sure their needs are met,” Cazares said.
In Napa, Ranuio said the Little Free Library is a small part of something bigger happening in her community, where citizens have been sharing information, and using the Nextdoor app to organize shopping trips for elderly or infirm neighbors.
“We were raised this way to give back, and we’re raising our kids to give back,” Ranuio said. “We say if you live there it’s your town, and if you participate it’s your community. This feels like a very strong community right now.”