Stuart Ave Mini Community Pantry

12/30/2025

The wind has taken down our gazebo, so we are letting the last bit of food on the shelves go then we will shut the pantry down until we can build a more sturdy and semi-permanent fixture. These small pantries we plan to build will be in the works in early 2026 so hopefully we will be back up and available for donations again soon! We are estimating that each small unit will cost around $250-300 and will feature ample shelving, exterior lighting for 24/7 accessibility, and a small flower garden for native pollinators. If you or someone you know would like to contribute to the projects, or sponsor a build, please contact us! Thank you all for keeping this project alive as long as you have. Keep spreading the word and sharing, and while we are down, if you can’t donate towards the buildings, donate to our local food banks in and around Albany or even to a friend in need! Keep building community with those around you. We will be back soon!

12/15/2025

Conversation I had a few days ago as I was restocking with two men who rode up to the pantry on bikes:

Me: Hey there! Y'all doing okay today?
Them: We are. How're you?
Me: I'm doing alright! Thanks.......
Them: Are you the one who runs this thing?
Me: I'm one of them but it's really everyone's project.
Them: Well, we really appreciate it. This has kept us fed for weeks now.
Me: That's awesome! I'm so glad!

That gratitude is for you all! YOU have kept them and many others fed for weeks. We have donated once or twice a week for about a month now but have personally shifted our family's focus and budget more toward delivering directly to families who have no transportation, so the shelves have been sustained and filled mostly by your generous donations.

We are looking in 2026 to build a smaller but more permanent fixture, similar to the "Little Free Library" setup, and we hope to build and donate several around Albany so that the Mini Community Pantry is more widely accessible. If you or anyone you know may be interested in sponsoring a build, or if you have any questions, please reach out! Help us spread the word with a share! Thank you all!

12/10/2025

Donation of the week: Macaroni and Cheese Cups

These are great entrees for kids’ school lunches and even work lunches, easy for the children who might have to make their own dinners, and even a quick snack for those hungry teens when they get off the bus! Almost everywhere has a deal going on them right now, so stock up that pantry!

Side donation request: hand warmers, blankets, and jackets. Temperatures are dipping down for the next four months and shelters are overflowing. Y’all have gone above and beyond to take care of your community and these are items that will definitely be needed!

Remember that you can drop off at the pantry on the corner of Stuart and Pearl or you can Cashapp/Venmo us and we will purchase food/hygiene items (just message for info). We also have an Amazon wishlist on our page that ships the items to us so we can stock the pantry and you never have to leave your home!

Please share, and thank you all again! I know we’ve said it 100 times, but it’s you all who keep these shelves stocked and these people fed!

12/08/2025

We have been busy this past week with family being in town for the holidays, but the pantry has always had food on it from y’all! Thank you all for keeping the shelves stocked! There are fresh vegetables out this evening so spread the word so they get grabbed up quickly!

12/01/2025

The pantry donations were scarce last week, and with a sickness making its rounds in our house, stocking it was a difficulty, but the Albany Community was strong with filling in the gap with all the Thanksgiving dinner giveaways so hopefully no one went hungry!

We are late posting the Donation of the Week, so here it is! If you can, pick up a few extra boxes of pasta while you’re at the store this week and drop them at the pantry! We still have so many people utilizing the pantry and donations have dropped off now that SNAP benefits are back. Many of the people coming to get food don’t have SNAP for various reasons, like they didn’t realize you had to re-apply every 6 months, and they’re now waiting months to hear back, or they “make too much money” for benefits even though they can’t afford to pay their rent or mortgage because they’re on a fixed income (Social Security, Disability, retirement, etc) or they do still get SNAP and it’s not enough still (many people get less than $150 a month in SNAP benefits) so please, keep donating! Every drop off or monetary donation helps us keep the shelves stocked at least a little! These families and individuals genuinely appreciate your giving and we do too!

11/27/2025

Today is the Albany Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving Lunch! So glad our community has so many resources like this! Spread the word!

11/26/2025

Tomorrow is the 7th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner in the City at the Albany Civic Center, 11am-2pm! Drive by and get a free plate for you and everyone in your car (walk ups welcome too!) Spread the info along with your friends and family, and feel free to donate still up until the lunch starts. They’re still in need of prepared meats, especially baked/rotisserie/fried chicken!

11/23/2025

We are going to begin posting a "Donation of the Week" that the pantry needs so that everyone can buy extra on their grocery stop and drop them by the pantry or with us!

This week's item is breakfast/granola bars! Any flavor/brand is great and Publix and Dollar General have sales on the items pictured below. The bars are great grab-n'-go meals for busy families, so if you are willing and able, purchase a box or two when you're out this week and contact us to pick up the donations or deliver them straight to the shelves!

11/23/2025

These are great insights! We don’t have refrigeration, so if you buy any frozen or refrigerated goods, contact us so we can add them to our direct deliveries instead of sitting on the shelves!

I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:

1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.

2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.

3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.

4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.

5. Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice a-Roni which they also get a lot of.

6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.

7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.

8. Sugar and flour are treats.

9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.

10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.

11. They rarely get fresh meat.

12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.

13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.

14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.

15. Butter or margarine is nice too.

16. Eggs are a real commodity.

**please check with your local food bank because many only accept “non-perishable” items, meaning no dairy/eggs/meat**

17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.

18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.

19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury, yet so important.

20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.

In all the years I have donated food at the Holidays, I bought what I thought they wanted, but have never asked. I am glad I did. If you are helping a Family this Christmas, maybe this can help you tailor it more.

Great input from Tricia Anne Meyerd

**Check with your local food pantry—every facility is different, so the wants and needs can vary**

11/22/2025

Passing on the gratitude to you all. We have had a couple of notes left, and many, many, many people stop by and thank us for the pantry. We make sure to tell them that mostly these are just our shelves and it's the people in and around Albany who are keeping the shelves stocked with donations. To be sure, we donate from our personal resources regularly, but it pales in comparison to how much y'all give, and if this pantry relied exclusively on our contributions, it'd be stocked for about 12 hours each week and empty the rest of the time. Guests are always surprised by the generosity and sense of community that has developed around simply helping people with groceries.

We are overwhelmed not only by how many people have ended up utilizing this pantry, but by how many community members have contributed in whatever ways they can. Rarely a half hour goes by during the day that at least one car doesn't show up, if not multiple cars forming a line to get groceries or donate. When we say that we could not do it without you all, we truly mean it. Please continue to spread the word, share the page, and donate when you can! These may be our shelves, but it's y'all's pantry!

11/21/2025

Fridays and Saturdays are pantry days! If you go grocery shopping today or tomorrow don’t forget to grab a few extra cans of food or diapers or paper goods for the shelves and drop them off or message us to pick them up! We are grateful to the community for helping keep those shelves filled!

11/19/2025

Wednesday morning pantry restock! This will almost all be gone around sunset, slowly disappearing throughout the day! Thank you to the donors from this weekend and every day who are coming by and refilling the shelves! Your donations are carrying the pantry through the week! Friday is on the horizon though, so we are ready for donations, especially paper towels, toilet paper, canned soups, meats, and vegetables!