Thinking inside the box

When Kevin Ruff came across an article about a novel use for newspaper boxes, he was intrigued.

Once common on street corners, the metal dispensers had begun to outlive their usefulness in recent years, as more and more newspapers went digital. But then someone thought to repurpose the boxes – compact, watertight, and animal-resistant – as food dispensers for the needy.

A resident of Crown Grant and member of the neighboring Community West Church, Ruff knew there was increasing demand for food pantries – even in the affluent Henrico suburbs. The church's pastor had heard stories, in fact, of Godwin H.S students rooting around in dumpsters looking for food.

There was just one problem with converting a newspaper box into a pantry.

"I couldn't find one," Ruff recalls.

But his son Kylan, then 13, was good at woodworking; and a fellow church member, Harry Gill, had a "pretty good shop," Ruff says. "So the three of us designed a pantry."

Using cedar planks from trees on the church's recently-cleared land near the Columbian Center, and modeling the container after the popular Little Free Library boxes, they built a mini-pantry on a pole. "My son," Ruff noted of Kylan – now 15 and a Godwin H.S. sophomore – "is every bit as good a woodworker as we are, and did just as much as me or Harry."

Ruff, a chiropractor, enlisted the help of a patient to make signs, with the larger one inviting people to take what they need from the box or to leave whatever they can.

In May 2019, they installed the pantry by the parking lot, and the church distributed pamphlets in surrounding Pump Road neighborhoods to inform residents of its presence.

For the first few weeks and months the church kept the pantry stocked, recalls the pastor, Hayden Workman. But once word got out, it wasn't long before neighbors and community members assumed ownership of the task.

"We haven't had to fill it in awhile," Workman says – despite dramatic increases in demand brought on by the pandemic, and the site's listing on an online Little Free Pantry map.

UndercoverAt a time when so many families are struggling and food insecurity is rampant, in fact, Little Free Pantries have been a godsend for those who don't want to wait in long lines or mingle with crowds at a food bank. The mini-pantries provide both convenience and anonymity, since users can visit them at all hours or after dark. Workman notes that such anonymity is especially important in an area like suburban Henrico, where newly-impoverished families may feel shame or embarrassment about needing help.

Donors to the pantry seem to appreciate the anonymity as well, and like the way it gives them a quick and easy way to help their neighbors while remaining "undercover."

Ruff says he once happened upon an elderly woman who lives nearby as she visited the box.

"She was putting something into it, and I thanked her," he says. "And she said how much she appreciated it being there."

"That's another nice thing about it," Workman adds. "You can't tell [when passing by] if someone is filling it or taking from it."

OutreachThe Community West Church Pantry dovetails neatly with other outreach activities at the church, which during the pandemic has been holding outdoor services – both drive-in and under a roofed pavilion on its 19-acre property – but has no building as yet.

Formerly part of the Columbian Center, the pavilion and grounds were purchased by the church in 2016 and are used frequently by Community West and other congregations for bible studies, training sessions, and men's group meetings. The church also hosts community activities such as pumpkin parties and Christmas tree giveaways, and members are involved in various programs at Godwin H.S., including student mentorship.

In March, things will undoubtedly get busier for the congregation when construction of the church building begins.

But that doesn't mean members are done with outreach – or even with pantry-production, for that matter.

Although a new Little Free Pantry was recently installed at The Arts Center at Glen Allen, only about a half dozen are known to exist in the Richmond area. To Ruff, it's clear there's a need for many more, and he's working with volunteers at other churches and ministries who want to set up pantries of their own.

Ruff hasn't ruled out newspaper boxes as a source, either, and has his eye on a set – idled by the pandemic – that he hopes to convert.

Given the success of the Little Free Pantry concept, and the organizations that have leaped to lend their support, local communities haven't see the last of the pantry-on-a-pole phenomenon.

And certainly not while people like Ruff persist in their passion: for thinking inside the box.

Community West Church Pantry is located at 2340 Pump Road. To view a map of Little Free Pantries, visit http://littlefreepantry.org.