North Delta residents showed up to support the area’s second Little Pantry, Nick’s Nook 2, on Saturday at North Delta's New Hope Church.
Little Pantries are no-barrier approaches to food security where neighbours can take what they need for today and leave what they can for tomorrow.
It takes a community to tackle food security. In this case, six organizations made Nick’s Nook 2 a reality.
United Way British Columbia provided a Local Love grant to Delta Community Champion, Daniela Filby, to start the project through their Hi Neighbour Initiative, which supports residents in bringing their community together.
Local businesses stepped up to help: Signify donated the stand, New Hope Church provided the property, Sands Secondary gave the pantry its sign, South Ridge Timber donated supplies, Envision Financial provided $1,000 for groceries at both Nick’s Nook locations and the Magical Hearts group contributed food to start the pantry. A local resident named Jeff volunteered to build Nick's Nook 2.
Neighbours and Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon attended the opening, along with members of the Delta Police, solidifying the community’s commitment to help neighbours facing food insecurity.
“It’s amazing how people are so respectful and only take what they need. The other nook has been up for six months and we’ve never had a problem with anyone cleaning it all out,” said United Way Community Builder, Cathie Watters. “If someone takes advantage of the situation, that’s on them. If we turn a blind eye on neighbours who need help, that’s on us.
“People have stepped up to support Nick’s Nook 1 in the most incredible way. I know they’ll do the same for Nick’s Nook 2. There may have been about seven occasions where Nick’s Nook 1 has been cleared out. When that happens, we post on Facebook and it gets restocked within an hour.”
Both North Delta Little Pantries are named after Watters’ grandson, Nick, who lost a battle with lung disease. He was a Sands student.
She said these initiatives honour his life.
The no-barrier approach to addressing food insecurity honours everyone and it’s starting to catch on. Filby relayed a story about a senior citizen who asked if it was OK to take half a can of soup because she couldn’t eat a whole can, but didn’t want to take food away from anyone else.
Little Pantries like Nick’s Nook 1 and Nick’s Nook 2 demonstrate how community connections can be strengthened through a little local love. And they’re getting stronger: already another organization has indicated interest in supporting a third Nick’s Nook in North Delta.
To contribute to Nick’s Nook 2, simply leave non-perishable food items, personal hygiene products and toiletries directly at the pantry or drop them off to Filby at New Hope Church Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For information about UWBC’s Hi Neighbour program that made Nick’s Nook 2 possible, visit: https://www.uwlm.ca/hineighbour. For details on UWBC’s Food Hubs and food security initiatives, go to: https://www.uwlm.ca/food-hub-locations.
