GONZALES — Small wooden boxes supplied with food will soon appear around Gonzales as the city implements a Little Free Pantry program.
The first pantry is located next to Gonzales City Hall, and three more are planned for other locations.
“We’ve gotten a lot of requests by people asking how to help others,” said Carmen Gil, director of community engagement and strategic partnerships for the City of Gonzales. “This is a good way for somebody wanting to help others. Once they go up, the community will be able to go fill them up at the sites themselves.”
The City has started a canned food donation drive already and is asking the community to help kick off the program to get the pantries filled. Once food and canned goods are collected through the bin at city hall, staff will sanitize them and place them into pantries. The donation bins are there to help the pantries get their initial supplies, but people can also leave food for others once the project gets rolling.
To ensure safety, Gonzales Public Works staff will monitor the pantries and clean them regularly. The pantries themselves will have guides on what to do and what not to do with them.
The city hall pantry is the smallest of the planned group, with others being as large as 2 feet by 2 feet or 3 feet by 3 feet. The remaining three are planned to be near lower-income neighborhoods and families in need.
Because of the longer lasting issue of access to food, the City of Gonzales plans to leave the pantries up after the end of the coronavirus health concerns.
“Once this COVID-19 crisis passes, we hope they’ll be used as free little libraries or canned food options,” Gil said. “The need is always there, and that’s why we’re making them more permanent than not.”
In addition, the City will monitor if four pantries suffice for the needs of area families, and is open to placing more pantries.
As for what to put into pantries, Gil said canned goods are a clear choice, and for now the City is fine with pasta, but is discussing how to handle other items, such as produce.
“Because the need is too great, we’re going to keep it open to produce and we’re monitoring it,” Gil said. “People will take the materials quickly once they’re put out.”
While the City of Gonzales figures out what ultimately to do with placement rules, Gil said they highly encourage canned and dried foods.
A list of recommended items includes canned foods, such as tomato products, spaghetti sauce, broth, soups, beans, stews, vegetables, tuna and chicken, as well as dry goods, such as pasta, noodles, rice, beans, oatmeal and peanut butter.
In the meantime, a local volunteer will assist the City with painting the pantries, which are expected to go up sometime this week.
