In 2016, one Arkansas pantry sparked a global movement of 2,301 mini pantries

The idea soon travelled beyond Fayetteville and Arkansas, developing into networks of mini pantries in communities across the United States and elsewhere. Some local networks began maintaining their own maps, including the Lowcountry Blessing Box Project and Pātaka Kai Open Street Pantries. Sometimes an idea for helping people does not begin with a foundation, a fundraiser or a grand plan. Sometimes it starts with a small wooden box, a few cans of food and the simple realisation that a neighbourhood can look after its own. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Jessica McClard was fascinated by the Little Free Library movement, which was bringing tiny book-sharing structures into neighbourhoods. She began wondering whether the same principle could be applied to something more immediate than books. What if people could share food, toiletries and everyday essentials in exactly the same way?In May 2016, that question became the Little Free Pantry and that slowly became a huge success. Scroll down to read this success story.From books to basic needsAccording to ABC News, McClard installed what she believed to be the first Little Free Pantry outside Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville. Th...