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Little free libraries transformed into food pantries
A Novato woman turned her Little Free Libraries into pantries stocked with food and household items to support her community during the government shutdown.
NOVATO, Calif. - As CalFresh recipients remain in limbo with payments still on hold, a Novato woman turned her little free libraries into miniature food pantries to support the community during the government shutdown.
Siobhan Gibson, who lives just down the street from San Marin High School, is building her third little library case to fill it with food.
She started out providing books that are banned in schools across the country, calling it the "Blacklisted Bookshelf," but when the government shutdown started impacting SNAP beneficiaries, she decided to pivot.
Paying it forward
Last week, she began restocking two libraries outside her home. One with non-perishables and one with household products like feminine hygiene products and deodorant.
"I looked this morning and we were almost out of toothbrushes and toothpaste," said Gibson.
She said she knows what it’s like to struggle and wants to pay it forward.
"There was a time in my life when I did not have a lot of food and I needed help and three people helped me no questions asked," she said.
Food banks inundated with needs
Over at the North Marin Community Services on Novato Blvd., a host site for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Tuesdays is food pantry day, where 275 families receive fresh groceries.
CEO Cheryl Paddack said about half of the clients are also CalFresh recipients, and like other food banks, the organization is seeing an increase in demand.
"Today we have 100 people on the waitlist," she said.
CalFresh recipients living in uncertainty
Local perspective:
One CalFresh recipient standing in line for food said he stood at a grocery store on Sunday ready to use the funds on his snap card, but he was shocked to find the card was frozen, even though it had a sufficient balance on it.
"All the news reports from a couple days ago said this won’t affect the use of your card and your existing balance, and all existing benefits, but for whatever reason it seems at midnight on November 1st the card stopped working," he said.
He also said the help from the community is what’s keeping his family’s cupboard stocked this week, but should things continue this way, he wasn’t sure how he’d feed his family.
The Trump administration announced plans to fund the SNAP program with partial funding on Monday, but it's unclear when those benefits will come.
What you can do:
North Marin Community Services is accepting food donations for an emergency stash and is expanding its food pantry to support more of the community.
"You never know when you’re going to be that family in need so really building on each other’s compassion in our community is something special about Marin County," said Paddack.
Paddack said the food bank is asking for most-needed food items like canned fish, nut butters, and soups.
North Marin Community Services is accepting donations on Monday during business hours.
What's next:
For Gibson, she said she hopes her little pantries also make the difference during this uncertain time.
"If our government is not going to take care of us, we need to find and help each other," she said, who plans to install the third pantry by the end of the week.
While her first two little libraries will return to hosting a book exchange after the food crisis is over, her latest addition will remain a pantry for essential items such as feminine hygiene products in honor of Josalynn Osborn, one of the four teens who died in a crash in Marin County in April.
With four other little libraries on her street alone, she hopes to inspire others in the North Bay to also turn their libraries into food pantries.