A little free pantry in Springdale is making a big difference.
Not only is Bud & Bob’s Free Pantry helping people in need, it appears to have spurred the opening of at least two other free pantries in the borough.
“It takes my breath away to see how people care so much about the people around them,” said Marianne Zimmerly, the steward of Bud & Bob’s Free Pantry.
Originally, Zimmerly wanted to install a community fridge in Springdale after seeing a news report highlighting such fridges in New York.
“I found out we had a community fridge in Aliquippa, but the person who owned that told me to start off with a free pantry because it is easier,” Zimmerly said.
By December, a green painted rabbit hutch displaying “Bud & Bob’s Free Little Pantry: Take What You Need. Give What You Can” was placed on the corner of School and Pittsburgh streets.
Getting the pantry constructed was the easy part, but Zimmerly said finding a spot she legally could place the box was the hardest part. The pantry found its home in a parking lot across the street from her cousin’s Springdale Floral and Gift Shop.
“He was all in right away about the idea,” she said.
Community members fill the pantry almost every day or even a few times a day with items including personal care items, produce, canned goods and snacks. If the pantry runs low, Zimmerly will post on social media to encourage donations.
Someone who benefited from free items left a note in the pantry explaining how much it meant to them.
“The note thanked the pantry, saying it was able to help feed five families. That’s five families that needed help, and the community was able to help them,” she said.
The pantry is not the only one in Springdale as two more have popped up in the past six months: one owned by a family and the other a blessing box at Rock of Ages Alliance Church.
Zimmerly hopes to see more little free pantries emerge.