ARLINGTON, Va. — A food pantry at the Arlington Central Library is being forced to close its doors on Friday, September 29, 2023.
The pantry was built by Eagle Scouts during the pandemic. Its purpose was to help give back to the community during a time when jobs were scarce, income was tight, and food and housing costs were rising.
On Tuesday the pantry received a notice stating that they had until Friday to cease all services and shut down the pantry. The notice posted states: “Arlington Public Library is not able to maintain or monitor the food pantry to ensure food safety or public health standards in keeping the pantry rodent and pest-free.”
WUSA9 reached out to one of the volunteers who assists with the day-to-day operations at the pantry. Roxanne Davis has been helping stock the pantry and keep it pest and rodent-free since the spring.
Davis says she saw a Facebook post asking for donations to assist with groceries for the little free pantry and jumped right in to help. With a history in community outreach, Davis created a wish list that people could order from so the pantry would have a consistent flow of food coming in.
Arlington Library 'Little Free Pantry'
“The pantry is about more than just about food. It addresses the food insecurity for the people who fall through the cracks” said Davis.
The pantry has over 150 patrons who visit regularly, 50 of whom Davis knows by name.
“I know some of their problems and some ways we can help them… it’s really about the community and normal people helping normal people” said Davis.
With only three days' notice to shut down the pantry, several volunteers including Davis have reached out to Diane Kresh, the Director of Libraries. They say they only have two questions for her:
Can you please place a 30-day waiting period before removing the pantry, so options can be discussed?
Please meet with us. We want to sit down, understand your concerns, and problem-solve.
Many of the patrons that frequent the pantry don’t go every day, some go once a week, others every two weeks, according to Davis. For those patrons, they’ll arrive at the library and see the pantry gone with no explanation.
Davis reiterates there is a team of volunteers that can continue to run, rebuild, and restock the pantry with no impact on the library’s resources.