Alyssa Wilson ~ Editor-in-Chief
Picture of Spiritual Life Center pantry and produce cooler. Taken by Alyssa Wilson.
Since the fall semester of this school year, Park View Community Mission has been donating items to the Spiritual Life Center’s Little Free Pantry every Thursday.
Up until several weeks ago, SLC was only taking Park View Community Mission up on non-perishable items, although the organization also offers produce donations.
“We hadn’t taken any yet because we didn’t have a way to store it or keep it fresh,” says Graduate Assistant Mimi Oliver about Park View’s produce.
The SLC did a trial run by adding foods like onions, apples, tomatoes and carrots to the pantry, and they were quickly obtained by community members.
After the initial success of producing items, Office Manager Christie Rapp and two student workers sat down on the front porch steps of the Spiritual Life Center and did some brainstorming.
Rapp remembered seeing a cooler in the building’s basement and from there they got ice packs, acquired more produce donations and started spreading the word about the pantry’s produce addition.
“The students helped by cleaning it, I made a sign and advertised it on social media, and Cory Schutter [Community Engagement Coordinator in CCE] agreed to bring a few “greens” so we could see how they would fare,” says Oliver.
Produce has been going quickly and seems to be a much needed resource to the campus community.
Currently, the Little Free Pantry receives donations from Park View every Thursday, but also gets supplemental donations from campus community members; most recently a member of the community donated farm-fresh eggs.
“It’s important to donate food when you can because that’s the only way we can operate. Anyone can donate anything,” says Richards.
For more information about how to donate or locate additional pantries on campus visit https://www.lynchburg.edu/about/office-of-equity-and-inclusion/resources/food-pantries/.