Little Free Pantry available at Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship

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FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Members of the Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship are finding ways to give back to their community, establishing the Little Free Pantry Project at the Fellowship located at 1150 Fairhope Ave.

“We have so many people in need in our community that we wanted to do something as a way to give back,” said Donna Orchard with the Little Free Pantry Project Committee.

Little Free Pantries are a hyper-local, small-scale way for businesses, nonprofits, houses of worship and fellowships to help with hunger, Orchard said.

“It is for people who are falling through the cracks and may not qualify for a mainstream pantry, but are living from paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “The pantry is a way to help them get through tough times.”

The idea for the pantry came after FUF received a Revive Plus COVID-19 Relief Grant in November.

Through the grant, FUF volunteers filled 100 bags of groceries for those in need, led by the team of Orchard, Irene Wegner, Carl Couret and Sarah Bogdanovich and filled by 19 volunteers.

Bags included pasta, chicken and tomato soup, canned fruit, peanut butter and jelly, oatmeal, mac and cheese, red beans, rice, tuna, masks, candy and more.

Following the successful campaign, Orchard said, members of the Fellowship decided they wanted to do more to help the community, so they reached out to Martha Howard, emergency aid director at Ecumenical Ministries in Fairhope.

“She said there is less of a demand for food after the COVID-19 Care Act was passed,” Orchard said, “but there is still a great need for non-food items, such as dish detergent, laundry detergent and first aid items.”

So with the guidance of Ecumenical Ministries, FUF formed the Little Free Pantry Project with committee members Orchard, Irene and Pete Wegner.

Bill Harrison, who was a sidewalk artist at one time in Fairhope, painted and donated a sign to go with the box, which is filled with both food and non-food items.

“You don’t have to contact anyone with the Fellowship to donate or to receive items,” said FUP President Michael Patrick. “As the sign says, you can just ‘Give what you can, and Take what you need.’ This is for people who feel like they just need a little extra help to get by and don’t have to go through the process of having to fill out paperwork to get it.”

Orchard said she just wanted to let people know what items are needed and what’s available to people who need items.

“The main thing is that any food items need to be non-perishable,” she said. “Members of the Fellowship check the boxes regularly, but any food items need to be those that won’t spoil or go bad in the heat.”

Ongoing needs include critical need items such as canned meats, cereal, jelly, canned fruit and pasta sauce. Other food items include oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat, peanut butter, canned or dry soups, meals in a box, canned vegetables, macaroni and cheese, dry pasta, rice, canned beans, pork and beans, dried beans, powdered milk, muffin and biscuit mixes, coffee and tea.

Non-food items include paper towels, dish detergent, diapers and baby wipes, bath soap and toiletries, toothpaste and tooth brushes, first aid items and feminine products.

Founded in 1952, the Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship is one of over 1,000 congregations around the country comprising the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Programs are held every Sunday at the Fellowship with musical prelude beginning at 10:45 a.m. followed by a guest speaker beginning at 11 a.m. Children and teen fellowship programs are also held every Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.

For more information about the Fellowship visit fairhopeuu.org, the Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship page on Facebook, or call the Fellowship at 251-929-3207.