Letters to the Editor

Letter to the editor | Help fight hunger by dropping food at Little Free Pantries

For five years Gig Harbor Midday Rotary has been stocking six Little Free Pantries in the Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula area. You may not have seen them but they are there, much like the people living with hunger that you probably don’t see either. But they are there, and the number is growing.

Our Pantry program started during the pandemic and the need for food has not lessened. In fact, it has grown, especially in the last few months. More than $1 billion in assistance to local farmers, schools and food banks has already vanished while the further threat from the federal government of slashing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) lingers large. Already our local food banks are seeing a huge decrease in food assistance across the board. The USDA has seen $421 million cut from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, where states can purchase food from farmers and give it to organizations that help the underserved communities. The need is great right now.

Five years of stocking six free pantries 3-4 times a week, every week, every month, every year tells a story. That’s roughly 80 visits to these pantries each month! We do it with Rotarian volunteers and Rotarian money and grants, local food drives, and some community support. These pantries give more than food, they create a caring atmosphere and a small, unique safety net in our local community. We invite any community members who want to help fight hunger to visit one of these pantries and drop off non-perishable food. It takes a village to build this kind of “community”.

Bright blue and yellow Free Pantries are located here:

• Agnus Dei Church 10511 Peacock Hill Ave. Gig Harbor

• Peninsula Life Church 6501 147th St. Ct. NW Gig Harbor

• Way Point Community Church 12719 134th Ave. Lakebay, WA

• Food Backpacks 4 Kids (north side of street) 9127 154th Ct. Lakebay, WA

• Key Peninsula Lutheran Church 4213 Lackey Rd. NW Lakebay, WA

• Lakebay Community Church 11 Cornwall Rd. SW Lakebay, WA

In addition, we are having our annual fund raiser May 10th to support these types of efforts. Buy tickets here: Supporting Dreams ticket sales. Questions or more information contact [email protected].

Lonna Calas

Gig Harbor