Little Free Pantry Movement Is Exploding In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It doesn’t get township, county or state funding. But a grassroots community program in the Montclair area has still managed to distribute more than 330,000 pounds of food to people in need last year.

That’s the power of the Little Free Pantry movement, advocates say.

The concept behind the crowd-sourced effort is pretty simple: build a free, miniature “food pantry” that’s open to the public day or night. There, people who are experiencing food insecurity – and there are many of them in New Jersey – can find some essential grocery items to keep their families fed.

The national effort has caught on like wildfire in Montclair. After launching in 2020, the local Little Free Pantry movement has now expanded to 16 sites in five North Jersey towns: Montclair, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, East Orange and Clifton.

It all began when the nonprofit advocacy group Northeast Earth Coalition (NEEC) got the ball rolling in October 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. As the need for food assistance swelled to unprecedented proportions, the group partnered with other local organizations and community leaders to build a network of pantries in North Jersey – all radiating out from Montclair.

According to the NEEC, the list of partner organizations that have offered help with the project is encouragingly lengthy. It includes First Congregational Church, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, Montclair Mutual Aid, the Helen and William Mazer Foundation, Trina Paulus, the Mustafa family, the Bloomfield Kiwanis Club, the Bloomfield Public Library, the Township of Cedar Grove, the Community Church of Cedar Grove, St. Paul Baptist Church, Church of the New Covenant, Grace Presbyterian Church, Renaissance School, the Montclair Foundation and the Partners for Health Foundation.

Has it been successful? The proof is in the pudding, advocates say.

Together, the local Little Free Pantry movement gave out more than 330,000 pounds of canned and dry food in 2022. This year, the effort is expected to reach 370,000 pounds of food, a NEEC spokesperson told Patch.

• See Related: NJ Has 1.5 Million People Living In 'Food Deserts,' Officials Say
• See Related: Free 'Community Refrigerators' Ease Food Insecurity In NJ City

Recently, the group expanded yet again – opening a Little Free Pantry near Renaissance School at 176 North Fullerton Avenue in Montclair.

It’s part of a larger effort to include local students in the movement, the NEEC says:

“We are incorporating our public schools into our community projects for several reasons. First, we are committed to educating youth about environmental protection, sustainability, and environmental justice. Second, students are required to do community work as part of the school curriculum. Bringing Free Little Pantries to our schools gives them an opportunity to fulfill this requirement, connecting with people in need and becoming part of the solution. In addition, we are not only bringing the pantries to the schools but also promoting school gardens as a way of educating students about local food production, pollinator gardens, wildlife habitat, and composting. It is a full package with the purpose of creating a long-lasting impact in our community and for future generations.”

It isn’t easy, according to the group. More than 250 volunteers with the NEEC roll up their sleeves and pitch in for the cause, running food drives, restocking pantries, building new pantries and maintaining existing ones.

Jose German-Gomez, founder and CEO of the NEEC, told Patch that if people want to get involved in the project, they can reach out to info@neearth.org, or join the “NEEC Free Little Pantry Project” public group on Facebook.

People are welcome to make donations of food items to the pantries themselves. However, for larger donations, organizers are asking them to contact them via email. Financial donations are also being accepted online here.

Want to check out a Little Free Pantry in the Montclair area? Here is the current list of locations, according to the NEEC (all are open 24/7):

• 40 South Fullerton Avenue (front yard lawn), Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by First Congregational Church).
• 67 Church Street (end of Driveway), Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair)
• 86 Elm Street (front yard), Montclair, NJ 07042 (Host: Trina Paulus)
• 119 Elm Street Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by St. Paul Baptist Church)
• 115 Greenwood Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by Trinity Temple)
• 84 Maple Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by Tommy’s Laundromat)
• 90 Broad Street, (front yard garden), Bloomfield, NJ 07003 (Host: Bloomfield Public Library).
• 65 Bowden Rd (front yard) Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 (Host: Community Church Cedar Grove).
• 106 Viola Avenue (front yard) Clifton, NJ
• 343 Dodd Street, East Orange, NJ 07017 (Hosted by the Church of The New Covenant)
• 67 Park Street, Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hosted by Congregation Shomrei Emunah)
• 10 Bellevue Avenue, Bloomfield, 07003 (Hosted by Brookdale Reformed Church)
• 99 South Fullerton Avenue, hosted by Bnai Keshet Reconstructionist Synagogue, Montclair, NJ 07042 (Hawthorne Place East side of the building).
• 581 Valley Road, hosted by St. James Episcopal Church, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043.
• 135 Grove Street, (Hosted by Grace Presbyterian Church) Montclair, NJ 07042
• 176 North Fullerton Avenue (Hosted by Renaissance School), Montclair, NJ 07042

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