An anonymous person donated the bookshelf for the library.
MORE: Little Free Library keeps it simple
Those are just a few of the ways the community has embraced the new pantry that is part of a growing network of such community-focused facilities.
Neff opened the pantry three weeks ago at 540 Richard St. after she saw a small library in the area. Food, paper products, books and children’s clothes are available at the location. She calls it a family project and runs it with Ramon Neff and her three children, who help stock the shelves.
Little Free Pantries and Little Free Libraries are small community stations where residents can donate and take what they need. According to the Little Free Library website, at least 65,000 such libraries exist in the world, and that number is growing.
The pantry, closet and library run on an honor system with the expectation that people will take what they need and leave what they can.
“You take a book, you leave a book,” Char Neff said. “You take something out of (the pantry), you leave something.”
Much of the food comes from donations. Neff purchases other supplies with proceeds from Miamisburg Bargain Bins, a Facebook group Neff uses to sell used items. She said she has to stockpile paper towels and toilet paper because people take them so quickly.
Neff said it’s hard to estimate how many people have used the pantry. She said it could be anywhere from 50 to 100 people. The door to the pantry is always open.
The pantry and library are housed indoors until Neff can raise money to construct outdoor boxes. The pantry currently holds more than just food – there’s dog food and other pet supplies, for example.
“We’re taking this further than that little pantry and little closet,” she said.
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