People in need of food for themselves or their families are invited to pick up canned goods, pasta, cereal, peanut butter and other nonperishables at one of three Little Free Pantry boxes that have been installed in the community. The boxes also contain personal care items.

The first box, located at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Honey Brook, was installed by church member Nathan Lutz in November 2020. Lutz installed a second box on Jan. 14 at the Village Library of Morgantown and a third box on Jan. 16 at the Hearts In Hands Community Center located in the Indian Run mobile home park in Honey Brook.

Lutz explained that the boxes were provided by It Takes a Village, a nonprofit organization based in Coatesville that has installed and maintains several food boxes in that area. "I (placed) the first box, and I had two more boxes that needed locations. I wanted (one) to be here at the library. I presented it to the township (for approval)," explained Lutz.

"(The library) is more of a community center," added library director Maria Long, noting that she is very pleased to have the box on the library property. "It is a grab-and-go curbside food bank."

The box, which Lutz cemented into the ground, is located in front of the library building near the picnic area. In addition to food items, Long also added face masks to the box for people who need them during the pandemic.

Long said having the box installed is part of the library's efforts to achieve goals established by the Pennsylvania Library Association's PA Forward program. The goals include basic literacy, information literacy, civic and social literary, health literacy and financial literacy.

"As a Gold Star Library, (a status that) we recently received, we pride ourselves on different values as a library and doing good things for the community," Long stated. "Our library has goals to achieve in five literacies. This definitely falls with excellence in serving our community in health and in civic and social literacy.'"

She noted that the library plans to have children decorate or paint the box in the spring.

In order to keep the boxes filled, community members are welcome to donate items. Donations of canned food, toiletries and personal care items are welcome.

There are some limitations about what can be placed in the box. Items that will not be accepted include fresh food, frozen food, homemade food, repackaged food and food in glass jars, which may freeze and break. The boxes are limited to food only, so no clothing, bedding or shoes will be accepted.

St. Mark's is located at 1040 Chestnut Tree Road, Honey Brook. Hearts In Hands Community Center is located at 1 Lenape Way, Honey Brook. The Village Library is located at 207 N. Walnut St., Morgantown.