Two new Little Free Pantries were installed at All Cultures Equal and Fuller Hall Monday afternoon, in a project sponsored by the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms.
The colorful pantry boxes are designed for children and families and are filled with easy-to-prepare snacks and meals.
“Or if there is an emergency need, if food pantries are closed,” said Allyson Ladd with Iowa Select Farms. She was in Webster City Monday afternoon for the unveiling of the pantries.
“These are the third and fourth pantries that have been installed,” she said. The organization has plans to install about 10 of the pantries in Central Iowa communities. The boxes will be stocked by Iowa Select Farms employees who live in the community.
The pantry boxes feature the artwork of Ray “Bubba” Sorenson, the artist behind the Freedom Rock project. Sorenson painted the pantries, and each depicts scenes unique to the community where they are installed. The ACE pantry features one panel highlighting the community’s diversity and the flags of many nations on display at ACE.
On Monday, the Little Free Pantries were stocked with soups, crackers, snack food items, first aid items, toothbrushes and even diapers. Ladd said the local employees will have gift cards to keep the pantries filled. The box at Fuller Hall is located on the southwest corner of the building, and at ACE, the pantry was placed near the display of flags.
Kathy Vaughn, executive director of ACE, Lindsay Henderson, community vitality director, and Rick Young, Hamilton County Supervisor, were on hand for the unveiling. Several representatives of Iowa Select Farms — Ladd, Gerhardt Badenhorst, Rachael Waters, Chris Nydegger, Zach Schumacher, Philip Jass and Alexandria Jass – were also present for the event.
View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.