Little Free Food Pantry Set To Nourish At Westhampton Library

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WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — The Westhampton Free Library is helping to nourish those in need in the community — with the installation of a Little Free Food Pantry adjacent to the library parking lot.

The Little Free Food Pantry offers those with food insecurity to anonymously take nonperishable items. Community members are also welcome to leave food items to help fellow community members, library officials said.

The pantry was designed and built by 14-year-old Ari Schneider, a Westhampton resident and substitute library page. Schneider first constructed the Little Free Food Pantry as a service project for his bar mitzvah as a means of helping the community surrounding his synagogue. When that location proved untenable, he decided to donate it to the Westhampton Free Library, library officials said.

"The Hamptons has a reputation of being a place of great wealth, but being a full-time resident here, I see that there are many people in my community who don't know where their next meal is coming from," Schneider said. "I hope that this Little Free Food Pantry serves as a community resource to allow people to leave food for their neighbors who might need it."

Schneider is a member of Westhampton Beach High School's Key Club and is working with his fellow students to organize food drives, the district said.

"With the Little Free Food Pantry, no one has to feel embarrassed about needing some extra help," Schneider said. "Come by the library 24 hours a day to take what you need. Perhaps in the future, if you have some extra, you can leave food for the next person. We can all work together to make Westhampton hunger-free."