Arlington Central Library Closes Little Free Food Pantry Outside Entrance

ARLINGTON, VA — A wooden structure that had served as a mini-food pantry outside the entrance to Arlington Central Library for the past three years was removed on Friday.

In the Little Free Food Pantry’s place is a sign listing other places in the county where people can get free food.

The pantry, built as part of an Eagle Scout project at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, was placed outside Central Library in the fall of 2020 to provide residents with a place to get free food. Over the past three years, the Little Free Food Pantry had been maintained and stocked by community members and Friends of the Arlington Public Library.

Arlington County Library posted a notice on the pantry in the days prior to its removal that said the library was no longer able to maintain or monitor the stability of the wooden structure and ensure the food inside the pantry was safe. The library also said it was concerned about public health standards with the pantry, such as keeping the pantry rodent and pest free.

One of the volunteers that helped to stock and maintain the pantry said Tuesday in a post on Facebook that she “was shocked to see signs announcing that it would be closing effective September 29.”

Volunteers had hoped they could delay removal of the food pantry in order to work with Arlington County to find a new place nearby where it could be placed.

“The two patrons who were at the pantry while I was refilling it today were visibly upset, with one mentioning to me that this is their only reliable source of food due to his food allergies,” Roxanne Davis, the volunteer, wrote in the Facebook post.

Standing next to where the Little Free Food Pantry had been earlier in the day, a man told Patch Friday afternoon that he used the pantry on a daily basis and found it more convenient than the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) and other locations in the county.

Anneliesa Alprin, communications manager for the Arlington Public Library, said in a statement that removal of the Little Free Food Pantry was a difficult decision, but one that the library's leadership agreed was a necessary one.

“The Little Free Pantry at Central Library is not a sustainable model for assisting those in need in Arlington,” Alprin said. “The library does not have the staff capacity, expertise, or knowledge necessary to implement an effective, quality, sustainable food pantry that meets best practices.”

The library said it is still collecting food for AFAC in containers in the entry to Central Library. For people who are hungry, the library said there are many programs in Arlington that are offering help, including:

St. George's Episcopal Church Food Distribution

• Location: 915 N. Oakland Street, Arlington, VA
• Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, noon to 1 p.m.

Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church Food Distribution

• Location: 1500 N. Glebe Road, Arlington VA
• Hours: Second Saturday of every month, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Arlington Food Assistance Network Food Distribution

• Location: 2708 S. Nelson Street (next to Jennie Dean Park), Arlington, VA
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.