{"id":163833,"date":"2026-02-04T17:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/163833\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:58:09","slug":"little-free-food-pantries-abound-in-oakland-county-the-oakland-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/163833\/","title":{"rendered":"Little Free Food Pantries abound in Oakland County \u2013 The Oakland Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a rare day that Marie Lowry doesn\u2019t have a crate of non-perishable food or personal-care items in her car.<\/p>\n

The 64-year-old Redford resident is ready to stop by Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington to fill the church\u2019s Little Free Food Pantry.<\/p>\n

The free-standing pantry was installed in June 2024 after a member of the church\u2019s social-justice committee suggested the idea, Lowry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a relatively large homeless population in Farmington,\u201d she said. \u201cI just learned that something like 300 students in Farmington schools are staying at area hotels. They have food insecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The small cupboards are the brainchild of Jessica McClard in Fayetteville, Ark. In May 2016 she installed a Little Free Pantry Pilot box on a post with food, personal care and paper items free to anyone, any time, no questions asked.<\/p>\n

McClard copied the idea from the Little Free Library concept that makes books and other reading material available to passersby. McClard hoped neighbors would see the box, learn about food insecurity and create a community effort.<\/p>\n

It worked.<\/p>\n

\"littleLittle Food Pantry at the Salter Community Center in Royal Oak on Feb. 3, 2026. (Peg McNichol \/ MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n

Little pantries have popped up all over the U.S. and in other countries. Oakland County has more than two dozen, from Holly to Hazel Park, with well over 100 across the state, including three in the Upper Peninsula. At least one in Oakland County, run by the Aish Detroit synagogue, offers kosher food.<\/p>\n

Royal Oak alone has at least five little food pantries located at the Salter Community Center, St. Paul Lutheran Church, St. Mary Catholic Church, Starr Presbyterian and the First Presbyterian Church.<\/p>\n

There could be more because registering a little pantry with littlefreepantry.org<\/a>\u2019s interactive map is voluntary.<\/p>\n

McClard wanted to build community based on trust and interdependency. Today, the website showcases images of dozens of different little pantry designs, tips for making the cupboard, raising awareness of a new pantry, legal guidelines and basic information about food insecurity.<\/p>\n

Lowry said it didn\u2019t take long for the word to get out about her church\u2019s pantry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had tremendous success \u2026 our church is very generous,\u201d she said, adding that people living nearby also donate to the pantry, from food to personal care items. The church also hosts a separate diaper drive to help families with infants and toddlers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople thank us for giving them something concrete to \u2026 help others. It feels good to do something good,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Church members refill the box four or five times a week, she said.<\/p>\n

\"littleLittle Food Pantry at First United Methodist Church in Berkley on Feb. 3, 2026. (Peg McNichol\/MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re adding a lot of cereal and other things that won\u2019t freeze \u2013 noodles with powder, mashed potatoes, tuna in pouches. We ask people to bring items that are easy to open, like flip-top cans. Whenever anyone donates a can opener, that goes fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The church also provides toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes and sanitary supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people will also drop off those restaurant packets with plastic forks, spoons, knives and napkins,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lowry said one of the most-frequent questions she gets when telling people about the little pantry is, \u201cAren\u2019t you afraid someone will just take it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Church members don\u2019t monitor who uses the pantry.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been pretty good about taking what they need. We\u2019ve seen people at the pantries and if they need more, whether it\u2019s food or gas or shelter, we try to help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lights were recently added so people can see what\u2019s available if they stop by at night, she said.<\/p>\n

During the severe cold weather, the box often had handwarmers, she said.<\/p>\n

\"foodLittle Food Pantry at First United Methodist Church in Royal Oak on Feb. 3, 2026. (Peg McNichol \/ MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all in this together,\u201d Lowry said. \u201cWe do what we can to get people what they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

First Presbyterian installed its little pantry in August 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea for it was brought to us by a youth member of our church who wanted to serve the community,\u201d said The Rev. Emma Nickel. \u201cIt\u2019s meant to be a place for neighbors serving neighbors, for those who need a little assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UniversalistUniversalist Unitarian Church of Farmington members Marie Lowry and Joni Tedesco at the June 2024 ribbon cutting for the church’s Little Free Pantry in June 2024. (Courtesy, UUC of Farmington)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see all kinds of folks visit it \u2013 people on foot, those riding a bike, people pulling up in cars with a family, elderly folks and so on,\u201d she said, adding that the church\u2019s effort is supported by other churches and some area businesses as well as a youth soccer league.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe LFP has also been a great way for parents to create an opportunity for their kids to do service by shopping for items and then delivering them to the pantry,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are no barriers to receiving the food, and also none for filling and contributing to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the pantry was especially busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur congregation stepped up to try to keep the pantry filled as much as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Food Pantry at First United Methodist Church in Berkley on Feb. 3, 2026. (Peg McNichol\/MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n

The Little Free Pantry effort, Nickel said, \u201cis a tangible way to show love to our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Food Pantry at Greenfield Church in Berkley on Feb. 3, 2026. (Peg McNichol \/ MediaNews Group)<\/p>\n

WHERE TO FIND LITTLE PANTRIES<\/p>\n

Here are the locations of Little Free Food Pantries in Oakland County listed with littlefreepantry.org<\/a>:<\/p>\n

BERKLEY
Berkley Community Center, 2400 Robina Ave.
Greenfield Presbyterian Church, 2312 Greenfield Road
Little Free Pantry (hygiene, pet supplies), 2820 12 Mile Road<\/p>\n

COMMERCE TWP.
Commerce United Methodist Church, 1155 North Commerce Road
Glengary Elementary, 3070 Woodbury St.<\/p>\n

FARMINGTON
Universalist Unitarian Church, 25301 Halsted Road<\/p>\n

FARMINGTON HILLS
Hope Lutheran Church Blessings Box, 39200 W. 12 Mile Road
Shadow of the Cross, 20805 Middlebelt Road
The Tuff Chicks Pantry, 26053 Pleasant Valley Road<\/p>\n

FERNDALE
Little Free Pantry on Planavon, 245 W. Lewiston Ave.<\/p>\n

HAZEL PARK
Hazel Park Take It or Leave It pantry, 569 E. Mapledale Ave.<\/p>\n

HOLLY
Holly Police Station, 315 S. Broad St.<\/p>\n

OAK PARK
Aish Detroit (kosher only), 25725 Coolidge Highway
Public Service Credit Union, 13401 W. 9 Mile Road
Oak Park Gifting Pantry, 23400 Seneca St.<\/p>\n

ROYAL OAK
First Presbyterian Church, 529 Hendrie Boulevard
Jack & Patti Salter Community Center, 1545 E. Lincoln Ave.
St. Mary Catholic Church, 728 S. Lafayette Ave.
St. Paul\u2019s Blessings Box, 202 E. Fifth St.
Starr Presbyterian Church blessing box, 1717 W. 13 Mile Road<\/p>\n

TROY
Hartshorn Little Free Pantry, 1730 Hartshorn Ave.
St. Stephen\u2019s Episcopal Church, 5500 North Adams Road<\/p>\n

WALLED LAKE
Mary Helen Guest Elementary, 1655 Decker Road
Walled Lake Elementary, 1055 W. Maple Road<\/p>\n

WATERFORD TWP.
Little Airport Pantry, 2941 Airport Road<\/p>\n

WIXOM
Loon Lake Elementary, 2151 Loon Lake Road
Wixom Elementary, 301 N. Wixom Road<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a rare day that Marie Lowry doesn\u2019t have a crate of non-perishable food or personal-care items in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163834,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3400,24383,209,79292,79289,79291,143,79290,145,144],"class_list":{"0":"post-163833","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-food-insecurity","9":"tag-free-food","10":"tag-groceries","11":"tag-hunger-help","12":"tag-little-food-pantries","13":"tag-little-free-food-pantry","14":"tag-oakland","15":"tag-oakland-county-food-pantry","16":"tag-oakland-headlines","17":"tag-oakland-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}