How long was The Little Free Pantry open?

Three years! We ran it from 2020- 2023 during the pandemic.

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This was a collaboration between Van Gogh Design and ecomodern design studio. We thought of it as a way to provide food to our neighbors in Berkeley and Oakland who were struggling with food insecurity.

 

We wanted to create a food pantry that elevated food and treated it with respect. We both believe that when you are thoughtful, and design the presentation so it looks and feels cared for - it makes a huge difference. It's about useability. People are more likely to use a good looking food pantry with clear signage than a broken-down one made of scrap wood. 

 

When free food is sitting on clean shelves, you automatically feel that you trust the source of the food. As a social experiment, it really worked. Our neighbors contributed to it every day. The invitation was: Take what you need, leave what you can. 

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How did it work? 

Since our little food pantry was outside and open 24 hours a day, we were able to fill the gaps in the food system. It was a place people could go to get food when all other food banks were closed. I would see cars stopping at 10pm, and lots of people came first thing in the morning and throughout the day. 

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Who used it?
Seniors on a fixed income, single moms & dads, nannies pushing strollers, day laborers, high school kids, people in between jobs, people who are living in their cars and folks who are experiencing homelessness. Lots of people came by bike. We would see the same people come in their cars and vans. It became a destination and a reliable source of food.   

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We built trust with the people who used the pantry every day. They knew that all the food there was safe. Anything that was not in good condition was removed. I loved that people would bring food from their gardens, and fruit trees. Keep in mind that we were doing this project during a global pandemic. We worked hard to keep the food pantry in top condition and cleaned it daily. 

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Why did we decide to do this project?​​

We believe that a free food bank is a radical way to share wealth and resources. It is an example of how Gift Economics can work. What I have learned is that when people are given an opportunity to share and to help their fellow humans who might be struggling, they will step up. Providing a way for people to get food without feeling shame about it really works. The location was perfect because it felt private. It wasn't in front of a house: it was in front of a thick hedge so when folks were choosing the food they wanted no one could really see what they were doing. That worked well. 

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We gave out fresh ACME bread, fresh produce, coffee beans, hygiene supplies and shelf stable food over the years. The value of the food we recovered and distributed was $30K a year. We are proud to share that we gave away a total of $90,000 of free food and hygiene supplies over three years! We know it made a difference because people left notes and letters for us.  

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Thank you to Berkeley Food Network, Berkeley Food Pantry, Oaktown Spice Shop, Musically Fed, STARTER bakery and Berkeley Free Clinic for donating a massive amount of valuable food and hygiene supplies over a three year period.​