Pantry Closing Update
Published on September 9, 2023 by Rachael Ketterer
Hi all– the below message was posted on our instagram account and was also posted as a "conversation" on Open Collective August 30th, however I am not sure anyone was notified by email. I just want to make sure that everyone is aware the pantry has sadly closed as of then and you may have noticed your recurring donation was canceled. Thank you so much for everything you've done to help out and keep it running with your generous funds. We will be reaching out to the fiscal host shortly to shut down the fundraising. You should no longer have a monthly contribution charge. More info about what we did with the small amount of remaining funds is below (we are keeping it local, in Fairmount).
Here is the message from 8-30-2023:
Unfortunately the pantry is no longer at 1924 Spring Garden St. As you may know, we were searching for a new home for it in the community but were unable to secure a new host in time. We are grateful to have been hosted there for over two years since spring 2021.
We raised $1,484.80 (update, $1,493.73) in this small operation and before that collected many donated supplies through a wishlist. So many members of our community bought items on their own, drove to pick up large food rescue donations, cleaned, and gave their time, money, and energy.
We know it was a resource to community members who relied on it for food and supplies and that this has an impact.
Over the weekend we dropped off part of an order bought with funds and will be taking the rest to Mama-Tee Fridge and Pantry outside Fairmount Bicycles (2015 Fairmount Ave.) this week. The last of our funds (under $100) before shutting down the Open Collective platform will also be used to purchase groceries for that fridge and pantry since it’s a few blocks away (update, another grocery order has been made with the remaining funds and was taken over today, 9-9-2023). We strongly encourage our neighbors and volunteers to shift their focus to that pantry and to continue their mutual aid practice by dropping off items there and helping to keep it clean.
Thank you again for all your help over the years. If you have questions, please let us know.
Here is the message from 8-30-2023:
Unfortunately the pantry is no longer at 1924 Spring Garden St. As you may know, we were searching for a new home for it in the community but were unable to secure a new host in time. We are grateful to have been hosted there for over two years since spring 2021.
We raised $1,484.80 (update, $1,493.73) in this small operation and before that collected many donated supplies through a wishlist. So many members of our community bought items on their own, drove to pick up large food rescue donations, cleaned, and gave their time, money, and energy.
We know it was a resource to community members who relied on it for food and supplies and that this has an impact.
Over the weekend we dropped off part of an order bought with funds and will be taking the rest to Mama-Tee Fridge and Pantry outside Fairmount Bicycles (2015 Fairmount Ave.) this week. The last of our funds (under $100) before shutting down the Open Collective platform will also be used to purchase groceries for that fridge and pantry since it’s a few blocks away (update, another grocery order has been made with the remaining funds and was taken over today, 9-9-2023). We strongly encourage our neighbors and volunteers to shift their focus to that pantry and to continue their mutual aid practice by dropping off items there and helping to keep it clean.
Thank you again for all your help over the years. If you have questions, please let us know.