BOERNE– St. Mark Presbyterian Church members and friends will gather in the parking lot at 208 W. Bandera Road after worship on April 30 (approximately 11:30 am) to dedicate Boerne’s third Little Free Pantry. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
Faith and Funky Junk thrift shop in Boerne built St. Mark’s food pantry box at no charge. It complements two existing pantry boxes in Boerne: Maty’s Box at St. Helena’s Episcopal Church downtown at the corner of Rock and Main streets and the Little Free Pantry at the Boerne Family YMCA on the north side at 820 Adler Road.
St. Helena’s website states that on average their pantry distributes over 2,000 cans of food each year. With a third pantry now available at St. Mark which is near I-10 and HEB, those with no transportation have greater access to emergency food.
Little Free Pantries started popping up around the country approximately 10 years ago, with the movement exploding during the pandemic in 2020/21. According to one Little Free Pantry website (https://www.littlefreepantry. org/), “The mini pantry movement is grassroots, crowdsourced solution to immediate and local need. Whether a need for food or a need to give, mini pantries help feed neighbors, nourishing neighborhoods.”
Unlike traditional food pantries that require registration and have set distribution days, Little Free Pantries are accessible to everyone 24/7. They provide anonymity and access to food and other items to those who need it, when they need it. And anyone can donate unexpired food and other items to the pantries. As the signage on St. Mark’s new pantry says, “Take what you need” and “Give what you can.”
St. Mark member Crystal McElhenney coordinated this project for the church’s Outreach Ministry, consulting with other churches, food banks, and non-profits to evaluate the need and understand how best to construct and maintain the free pantry.
“We are very excited about launching this new outreach effort in the community,” McElhenney said. “This is one more way for St. Mark to follow in the footsteps and example of Jesus in loving our neighbors.”
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