CROTHERSVILLE
Crothersville now has a fourth food pantry box.
The newest one recently was installed at Veterans Park, which is across from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1083 between Main and Howard streets.
The Crothersville Parks Board partnered with the Crothersville Kids Pantry and Boy Scout Troop 522 to bring the pantry to the community.
“There have been several improvements to the small park, and the installation of this pantry will provide access to donated nonperishable food items for anyone in the community that may be in need,” the park board recently posted on the Crothersville Community Park Facebook page.
Troop 522 leader Steve Plasse helped install the food pantry box. He also helped with the one installed in April at Bard Street Park with materials that were donated.
The other boxes are outside Beauty from Ashes Tattoo Parlor and on the front porch of First Baptist Church of Crothersville’s food pantry.
The boxes are maintained by Kathy Sage, Mary Jo Isenhower and other volunteers with the church food pantry.
Sage volunteers at the church’s pantry on Main Street, and she started the Kids Pantry this spring in response to schools being closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has continued on a weekly basis so students who attend Crothersville Community Schools or live in the district won’t go hungry while school is closed. Senior citizens also have been offered opportunities to visit the pantry.
Overall, more than 300 kids and senior citizens have been serviced and the outdoor boxes have been filled more than 40 times, Sage said.
“That comes from Crothersville people taking care of Crothersville people,” she said.
The food given away is either donated or purchased with money donated to the cause. People also may place donations in the boxes.
The success of the other three food pantry boxes in town led to Sage having the fourth one installed.
“Everybody has been so generous in helping us keep it filled over at Bard Street Park,” she said. “We were afraid maybe it would be abused, that it would be torn up, and everybody has been wonderful with it.”
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Nonperishable food items may be placed in the wooden food pantry boxes outside First Baptist Church of Crothersville’s food pantry, 309 E. Main St.; Beauty from Ashes Tattoo Parlor, 218 N. Armstrong St.; Bard Street Park; or Veterans Park, all in Crothersville.
People also can contact Kathy Sage via Facebook or join the Crothersville Kids Pantry Facebook group.
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