24-hour fridge food pantry opens in Nacogdoches

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) - More often than not, free food pantries are only available during scheduled times. An individual from Nacogdoches wanted to change that and brought her idea into existence.

On the corner of Lanana Street and East Hospital Street in Nacogdoches, you will find a decorative piece of furniture standing outside a home. What you will find inside is an organized food pantry with a mini-fridge included.

“If you get off at two in the morning, there’s food here at two in the morning. You can come get it,” said project creator Susan Roberts.

Roberts holds this project very near and dear to her. Now that she is in a position where food insecurity is no longer an issue she faces, she wanted to give back to the same community she grew up in.

She and her husband put some money aside to purchase the cabinet and mini-fridge. They supplied it with a bit of food and opened it on Easter weekend. Her friend Anne is the homeowner that graciously volunteered her yard and electricity for the food pantry to run properly.

Roberts said she hopes for people to “treat it like a grocery store. You don’t go to the grocery store and eat a scoop of peanut butter and leave it. You take the whole can of peanut butter because if you need it one time, you’re going to need it a few more times.” They hope to avoid cross-contamination and to keep the area sanitized. Rules for non-perishable, shelf-stable donations are listed outside and inside the cabinet

“The point isn’t to have the skepticism of people’s needs, there is not a person on this planet that doesn’t need to eat.,” said Roberts.

Roberts said she hopes the food pantry becomes a safety net for those in need within the community.

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