A tiny food pantry, placed in the yard of Grand Ledge residents, Kimberlee and Rick Klatt, that started as a way to the feed the hungry — from “couch surfers”, to kids, to the homeless — has become a beacon of hope for the Grand Ledge community and Greater Lansing.
In the fall of 2017, Kimberlee and Rick built a tiny food pantry to place in the yard of their home at 227 W. Jefferson in Grand Ledge. For the couple, the decision to build a tiny food pantry, where anyone could walk up to the box and grab non-perishable food, was an easy one. But the journey wasn’t as easy.
At first, the couple faced political and ordinance issues with the city of Grand Ledge. Certain members of the Grand Ledge community were afraid of “the kind of people it would bring to our community.” A few city officials questioned the need for the tiny-pantry when there is already a food bank in town.
When I first sat down to write the draft for this article, I wanted to focus on the altruism and remarkability of the Klatts to persevere through the city politics just to help a few people in the community.
But as I reflected on my conversation with the couple, that just didn’t feel right. Eventually, it became clear to me that I should be focusing on the pantry. During our conversation, the couple stressed to me several times, “It’s not us. It’s really been the community,” when asked about how they managed to get started.
I think everyone, even the Klatts, had no idea that one little food pantry would bring much more to the community than food.
More Than Feeding the Hungry
The tiny food pantry has become a symbol of hope, and for many, restored their faith in humanity. It has become a way for everyone to get involved in the community and is a representation of the strength that exists in the Grand Ledge community.
As the Klatts shared their stories with me, it became clear that the most surprising aspect about the pantry is the way it is causing the community to get involved. While I don’t have all of the names and space to share all of their stories, there are a lot of people in Grand Ledge who are awesome.
For example, instead of asking for the latest video game or other presents, two neighborhood-children — Maya and Xavier — asked all of their friends and family to bring non-perishable food to the party. These kids walked over with a giant box of food to donate to the tiny food pantry.
This box has given more to the community than just food. It has become a beacon in the community and it’s the Klatts hope that more are built in the Grand Ledge area and the community where you live.
It’s One Tiny Pantry…
It’s easy to say, “It’s just one box. It’s a little bit of food. Why bother?”
When I asked Rick why they bothered to go through the headache with the city for a tiny pantry, he responded by asking me if I ever heard the story about the starfish. My eyes lit up and smile beamed across my face because I knew exactly what he was talking about. It’s the story that made me decide to make this year the year of community.
Finally, I found another member of our community that understands we might not be able to make a difference in the entire world, we can make a difference in SOMEONE’s world.
This little pantry can’t feed the whole community. In fact, it’s not meant to. But it can make a make a difference in the lives of some of the people who live around 227 W. Jefferson.
This pantry is a vessel that is building the community. It is doing more than feeding those who need food — for whatever reason.
How to Get Involved
The Klatts were excited to share their story with me and I was excited to learn about them. When asking how people could get involved, Kimberlee said she would love to see more of these [tiny pantries] in the community. She would love to see them “at every church.”
Of course, the Klatts are always taking non-perishable food donations at their 227 W. Jefferson home, but they are encouraging people to build their own pantry. You can learn more about how to give donations by visiting their Facebook Group, Free Grand Ledge Food Pantry.
If you want to get involved in building a tiny pantry yourself, check out the pantry building event at Home Depot that is being hosted by Cardboard Prophets. On February 2nd, there will be a project to build these boxes and put 10 more pantries in the community.
Right now, you have two options. You can close this article and say, “that was nice,” and go about your day. Or you can make the decision to do something. This article is meant as a small push to help you go further than you ever thought you could. To build YOUR community.
Of course there will always be another reason to wait. A reason to do it later. If you’re ready to get involved and you can do it, I encourage you to take a small action, like:
- Donating food to the Klatts
- Attending the event being hosted be Cardboard Prophets and build your own box
What will you do today to build your community?
