MILTON — A Milton High sophomore's Eagle Scout project will provide free food in the way Little Free Libraries provide free reading material.
The name is similar. They’re called Little Free Pantries and Gabriel Small of Boy Scout Troop 451 wants to build four of them in Santa Rosa County at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Friendship Baptist Church, Alyssa’s Antique Depot, and a fourth location yet to be determined.
Suzanne Small said her son got the idea from social media and already has support from local businesses such as Hall’s Hardware, Pittman Lumber, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.
The pantries themselves will resemble the Little Free Libraries but stocked with nonperishable food items like canned goods and rice and pasta, according to Suzanne Small.
“They’re made with shelves. We’re going to seal, weather-proof, and bug-proof them,” Suzanne Small said.
A few exist in Santa Rosa County already, Suzanne said. The one at Gulf Coast Communication thrift store has a stock of canned beans and soup as well as pasta.
Seeing this project has been no small task, according to Suzanne Small.
“It takes so long to get an Eagle Scout project approved. First, there is a lot of paperwork beforehand. He needs to have safety equipment, be near a hospital, know what permitting he needs … have a complete list of materials, and cost of materials,” she said.
After that, he needs approval from his council and then approval from the beneficiary; in this case, Wesley Memorial United Methodist church.
Gabriel’s goal is to have these pantries installed by the first weekend in February.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Scout project to provide free food