GRAND LEDGE - Kim Klatt and her husband Rick want to help feed their community, right from their own yard.

The Grand Ledge couple is building a free-standing food pantry, a wooden cupboard they intend to fill with nonperishable food and personal care items, and erect on their West Jefferson Street lawn. Community members could take whatever they find on its shelves free of charge, and the Klatts plan to keep it stocked year-round.

Klatt, 61, a nurse who's worked at Sparrow Hospital for three decades, said there's community support for the idea, but it may never happen.

The "little pantry" is illegal, said Grand Ledge Zoning Administrator Susan Stachowiak, and the Klatts could face a $150 fine if they place one in their yard.

Stachowiak said that's because the city's ordinance simply doesn't address the idea.

The Klatts aim to change that.

Filling a need

"My husband and I live on W Jefferson in Grand Ledge," wrote Klatt, in a July 14 post in the "Grand Ledge Community" Facebook group. "We would like to put a standing box on our property where people can help themselves to food, etc. I am planning on calling City Hall but does anyone know if this is allowable in Grand Ledge?"

The couple's been considering erecting their own food pantry for a few months, ever since their daughter Kerrey Klatt, a teaching assistant in Arkansas, told them about the trend.

Little pantries are popular in Fayetteville, Kerrey Klatt said, where they're doing a lot of good.

"I don't think there's anybody who thinks it's a bad idea," Kerrey Klatt said. "Nobody's going to judge you if you take food from one and it's available all the time."

Klatt said she envisions placing after-school snacks in the couple's pantry for students to take on their way home from school. Hats and mittens might sit on the shelves during the winter, she said, and other necessities, like toothpaste and water, would be inside most of the time.

"They're almost like little bird houses," Klatt said. "They're catching on in other places. Neighbors taking care of neighbors. I think this is what the little pantry is all about. I thought because it was such a small, free-standing thing that we'd properly maintain, it would not be a problem."

More than 300 people "liked" Klatt's post on Facebook and dozens commented, many voicing their support for the idea.

Then Klatt reached out to Stachowiak.

Can we do this? she asked.

The answer? No.

"The ordinance does not list it as something that is permitted," Stachowiak said. The only way to change that, she said, would be to amend the ordinance with language that specifically addresses "little pantries."

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Before that happens city officials could decide to look at what impact, if any, little food pantries would have on traffic, and existing outreach programs in the city, said Grand Ledge City Administrator Adam Smith.

They could also decide to consult with the health department about what items shouldn't be permitted in the pantries, he said.

"I'd want to do our due diligence," Smith said. "On face value it makes sense, but we have to decide whether the value is worth the challenges that come with it."

Jessica McClard, founder of "The Little Free Pantry" in Fayetteville, said it is. She started the effort to establish the pantries there last May. Now there are four free-standing pantries in the city and an additional six in the outlying areas.

People in need take items from pantries daily, McClard said, and the idea has since been implemented in other states. The pantries often fill a gap that brick and mortar pantries miss, she said.

"At least where I live, those pantries have hours of operation," McClard said. "Just because the doors close doesn't mean the need goes away."

She said free-standing pantries are accessible to anyone, regardless of income, meeting the needs of families who live paycheck to paycheck, but fail to qualify for food assistance programs.

"It doesn't matter where they are," she said. "The need is always going to outpace supply."

Clarence Walker, 38, said that's true in Lansing. In June he built his own free-standing pantry in his yard on the city's west side. In the last few months, he said, neighbors have contributed to the pantry too, by replacing items those in need have taken from its shelves.

"It works," Walker said. "You're welcome to go in there and, if you see something you need, take it. People have not been greedy. People have only taken what they need."

Walker said it never occurred to him to ask for permission from Lansing city officials before he placed the pantry in his yard.

Stachowiak, who also serves as zoning administrator for Lansing, said the outdoor pantries aren't addressed in that city's ordinance either and so aren't allowed.

Walker said the pantry sits on his property, and has done nothing but good.

"I just did it," he said. "I'm not going to ask the city if it's okay to help my neighbors. We all need to come together to build a better community."

Next steps

Klatt attended a Grand Ledge Planning Commission meeting on Aug. 3, where she asked commissioners to consider recommending that the City Council amend the local ordinance to allow "little pantries" in the city.

"They listened," Klatt said. "Most of them had never heard about this before, and they needed to do more research on it."

Stachowiak said the issue will be on Sept. 7 Planning Commission agenda for discussion.

City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Keith Mulder acts as a liaison with the Planning Commission. He attended Thursday's meeting and listened to Klatt's plea, but said he isn't ready to take a position on "little pantries" yet.

"I want to research it a little more," he said, but admitted that he doesn't favor heavy government regulation.

"I don't think everything needs to be zoned," Mulder said.

Klatt said she's hopeful city officials will address it sooner, rather than later.

"I think there's a need in this community," she said. "And I think people are willing to do their part if the city will allow it."

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at (517) 528-2075 or rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.

What's next?

The Grand Ledge Planning Commission is expected to discuss "little pantries" at its Sept. 7 meeting, scheduled at 7 p.m. at Grand Ledge City Hall, located at 310 Greenwood Street.