Pantry 279 was started by 10 Girl Scouts from troop 69-279 as their Silver Award Project! Yes, 11 - 13-year-old Girl Scouts started this amazing organization!
The girls wanted to build a food pantry to help their friends at school who were only getting food while at school, due to family crisis. With the help of their leader, parents, and a partnership with Trinity Lutheran Church, they were able to open Pantry 279 on Nov. 2, 2015.
By their second week open they were helping 30 families, which they thought might happen after a year or so. They just started their 6th year and now have over 800 families a month coming to the Pantry for assistance! That’s over 2700 individuals! And the number continues to rise.
Pantry 279 provides education about food need and food insecurity to anyone to needs it. They have even created a community garden to grow some of their own fresh produce to share.
The original Girl Scouts are now getting ready to go to college. They still volunteer and one sits on their board. Due to their growing size, they now have volunteers from other youth groups and the community.
The Pantry always loves to have volunteers, but they are asking for additional help right now. They can use all the help they can get, from help with distribution to truck unloading to moving things to the Monroe County fairgrounds. You can visit their Facebook page to read about their current events and needs. You can make a financial donation and sign up to volunteer on their website.
If you are shopping at Bloomingfoods, donating is as easy as rounding up at the register! Whether you round up your change or make a larger donation, 100% of that money will go to Pantry 279!
Visit their website and Facebook page to learn more: https://pantry279.org https://www.facebook.com/Pantry279