Take it if you need it, leave it if you have it. That's the idea behind Wyoming Food For Thought's "Little Free Pantry" that recently opened its cabinet doors outside their Casper office. A bit of a riff off the popular "Little Free Libraries", the pantry is open to anyone.

"The idea is that anyone, no matter who you are, can go to the pantry, open it up, take something if they need something, or leave something if they have something," says Wyoming Food For Thought's Executive Director Jamie Purcell. She says it's their first one, and can be stocked with a variety of items. "You can put anything in there that you would have in your pantry, even toilet paper, feminine goods, soap, we've got umbrellas in there, and then food of course, shelf-stable food." Purcell says they will also have a basket for fresh produce.

She says they love the idea of community involvement. "It's every person in the community having just a small part to play whether it's donating a can of food to our food bags or taking part in the food pantry or doing a part in any of our programs that we do," says Purcell. "They all just really lend themselves to this idea that if everyone in the community does just a little it adds up and it becomes this exponential change for everyone."

Wyoming Food For Thought started four years ago as an effort to provide food to kids when they don't have access to school lunch programs, such as weekends and vacations. Their army of volunteers prepares some 760 bags every week for children who are food insecure in Natrona is located at 900 St. John Street in Casper.

If you'd like to know more about their many programs including food bags for kids, the community garden, the Little Free Pantry, or how to volunteer, you can call (307) 337-1703, visit their website at wyomingfoodforthoughtproject.org, or connect with them on social media.

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