People Making A Difference: Burbank Mom Thinks Small To Make Big Impact

BURBANK (CBSLA) — There are dozens of Little Free Libraries all across Los Angeles, and now one Burbank mom is hoping to make Little Free Pantries just as convenient for people in need of food.

"We have a ton of these Little Free Libraries here in Burbank, and as I was looking, I thought of the idea, 'What if we put food in them?'" Tara Duffy said.

Duffy said the idea came to her following a pretty serious car accident that resulted in a number of surgeries.

"And I was thinking about the world, and how it wasn't in a great state," she said. "And I wanted to be able to be someone who made a difference."

So with the help of friends, family and even local Girl Scout Troop 2746, Duffy's Little Free Pantry opened at South Hills Church near her Burbank home.

"They created these care packages, individual care packages with socks and different self care items — deodorant and soap and toothpaste and toothbrushes, things like that — and handwritten notes from each of the little girls to the recipient, whoever it may be," Duffy said of the donations received from the Girl Scout troop for the pantry.

But this isn't the only Little Free Pantry in Burbank. The Little White Chapel has since built one of its own to help community members in need.

"The folk who use this pantry aren't just homeless people," Bill Thomas, pastor at the Little White Chapel, said. "There are some people who are, as an associate of ours says, barely housed — meaning they just have enough to get by."

The food in the pantries is non-perishable and can range from snacks to meals, and offers residents in need a way to get help anonymously.

"There's a lot of unintentional shame involved when you are a person in need, and that shouldn't be the case at all," Duffy said.

For those wanting to help, donations can be dropped off at either of the two Little Pantries — South Hills Church or the Little White Chapel — in Burbank.