Food stamps won't buy TP. So, these Girls Scouts built a Little Free Pantry to help

BRAINTREE – A Girl Scout troop is helping neighbors in need obtain household and personal care items by setting up an outdoor neighborhood pantry.

Stocked with hygiene products, cleaning supplies and toiletries, the Necessities Co-op pantry was dedicated Nov. 12 in front of 15 Hall Ave. in South Braintree Square.

Residents joined local and state officials for the ceremony as Troop 62286 cadets Rileigh McLoughlin and Sophie Pradhan, both 13 and from Braintree, cut the ribbon of the free-standing wooden cabinet. The idea for the pantry came from the cadets’ Silver Award community project.

“We have donated to a lot of food pantries over the years, and we realized there was a lot of stuff that (low-income families) did not have,” Rileigh said. “When we started to think about doing the Silver Award, that was one of the main things we remembered.”

Food stamps won't buy toilet paper

Sophie noted that some non-food items such as toilet paper and cleaning products cannot be paid for with most state and federal financial aid programs.

“The Girl Scouts' motto is ‘Be Prepared,’ but during this journey we learned how hard it is for some people to be prepared and about which items are not commonly available, and which are hard to come by,” she said. “A lot of items are not available from federal aid like food stamps.”

How did the Girl Scouts choose South Braintree Square for this little pantry?

Sophie’s mom, troop co-leader Crystal Evans, said the South Braintree Square location was chosen since it is in the lowest income area of the town.

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“Many residents in this neighborhood have incomes under $25,000 a year and many are on disability,” she said, citing state figures. “There are a lot of rooming houses within a block from here and a lot of transitional housing.”

Evans explained that the cadets researched the data “to understand how this type of project would bring equity to South Braintree Square. This taught them about disparity and how they can make a difference. We decided to do something to meet some of the disparities focused on non-food items.”

She said many of the South Braintree Square residents do not drive and have had difficulty getting to the town’s food pantry in East Braintree.

The Girls Scouts learned not just about poverty, but construction, too

Troop leader Nicole McLoughlin, Rileigh’s mother, said the project was a collaborative effort as members spent the summer building the 5-by-4-foot white and black painted wooden box. Two doors open to shelves stuffed with cleaning supplies, shampoo, body wash and hygiene products, all donated by the community.

“Together, Rileigh and Sophie brainstormed, learned new skills, reached out to the community to learn more and request help,” she said. “This project will have a lasting impact on the community and will have a sustainable change.”

Keeping true to the Necessities Co-op slogan, “Take what you need, give what you can,” the pantry was built with scrap wood saved during a renovation of Sophie’s home, part of the project’s effort to have the least impact on the environment. Only one small piece of wood and the pantry’s sign had to be purchased.

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“Our construction coordinator, Jim Godfrey, taught us how to use the hand tools, power tools and various methods of assembling everything,” Sophie said.

Who can use the Necessities Co-op free pantry? And how you can donate

Those who need the non-food items may stop by any time to access the pantry.

Donations of non-food items are welcomed and can be dropped off at the pantry or made by visiting the Scouts’ Facebook or Instagram accounts with the user name The Necessities Co-op.

Also, donations may be made through their Amazon and Target wish lists. The selected items will be shipped directly to the pantry.

The troop’s volunteer support specialist, Caitlin Beberman, said the cadets’ work is a “wonderful example of commitment and care.”

“They are reminding us that it is necessary to look out for each other and look what can be done when just a few of us work together,” she said.

The Necessities Co-op is part of the Little Free Pantry grassroots movement that has gained momentum throughout the nation over the past several years. The effort is to provide items such as books, non-perishable foods and personal care items as a way for communities to help their neighbors.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Girl Scouts build Little Free Pantry in South Braintree Square