About The Little Free Pantries

The Little Free Pantries Project came from a deep intent of Molly’s to connect better with her neighbors and provide more food access points within her community. She and her family have hosted a pantry in their yard since 2016 and seen the value it’s added to connect her neighbors and offer a low-barrier access point to food. She believes in The Right to Food and the idea that all people should have access to sufficient food that is safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate, and that the government ought to ensure that access. A hope of hers is that the global LFP movement will help create more community-rich places where food is seen as a shared resource through social practice rather than as a private good. She feels her best with a backpack on & hiking through the mountains of the NW or simply sitting quietly while enjoying the many views of beauty the Pacific NW affords.

Originally from Alabama, Aja lived and worked in New York City and New Orleans before moving to Seattle in 2013. Aja's background is in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Planning, Environmental Policy, and Geospatial Analysis & Mapping; she has also explored the culinary world in professional kitchens in both NOLA and Seattle. Aja's interest in the intersection between urban planning and food security policy drew her to the Little Free Pantry movement. She views Little Free Pantries as an important mutual aid effort with the potential to address food insecurity at a hyper local level. She is excited to use her skills and knowledge to help mobilize them as a tool for food justice in Seattle and beyond.

I am passionate about the Little Free Pantries project because the gaps in our food systems need support in being filled while also open a door to building stronger connections to your community and neighbors.. I hope my knowledge of large operating food systems, food rescue and passion creating community will help to further bring this project to life.

I split my time between Baltimore, where I teach law, ethics, and workers’ rights, and Seattle, our urban base camp for Pacific Northwest exploration. In the darkness of this pandemic, working in community with other Seattle Public Schools families to eliminate food insecurity has been, for me personally, a powerful light. My interest in the Little Free Pantries project is its potential to radically shift our perspective on access to food as a human right, and to strengthen the power of communities to demand systemic changes to the racialized root causes of poverty.

Mark is a Seattle native who grew up in a busy home with five brothers. He worked providing special education services with Seattle-King County Head Start and worked in many of the communities where Little Free Pantries are located. After his work with Head Start, Mark moved into the business sector running food manufacturing plants both in Washington State as well as California. He wrapped up his career by moving into the nonprofit sector taking on the role of Director of Operations for Nourish Pierce County Food Banks. Mark was drawn to the mission of The Little Free Pantries due to its ability to provide low barrier 24/7 access to food as well as its community building approach with neighbors helping neighbors.

Lauren is a designer who loves helping to strengthen and engage communities. She contributes to The Little Free Pantries project through her graphic design experience. Lauren’s passion for The Little Free Pantries project stems from her interests in art, food security, and sustainability. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and spends her free time hiking, baking, and enjoying the beauty of Lake Michigan.

Lynn is an artist based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their passion for community engagement led them to volunteering design work for The Little Free Pantries. Lynn’s free time is spent taking care of community cats to help them be comfortable with humans and find forever homes.

David joined The Little Free Pantries to assist the increasing number of people that were experiencing food insecurity at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. His focus on the project is largely around building a programmatic digital infrastructure for The Little Free Pantries to continue to grow. This project resonates with him as a scalable and sustainable solution that provides a zero-barrier access point for food in our communities. 

Hello! I am a professional pilot by trade, and an avid outdoor adventure lover the rest of the time. I became involved in and absolutely love the Little Free Pantries Project because it combines my hobby of building/woodworking, my passion for food justice, and my strong belief that neighbors helping neighbors and building communities that care for one another will fix so many of the issues in our world.

Robert Rutherford is Manager of Public Engagement at Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), supporting and leading a team of public engagement producers in the conception, development, and execution of MoPOP's inspired public programs and partnerships exploring music, science fiction, horror, video games, and other exhibition themes. He oversees Sound Off!, MoPOP's annual all ages music showcase, amplifying the voices of young artists from all over the Pacific Northwest, providing a safe, supportive environment for them to connect with each other and the broader music community. Robert also hosts It's Coming from Inside The House!, a monthly horror film watchalong series where leading creators and thinkers in the horror community connect with fans in conversation about a shared love of the genre. Robert has over 25 years of experience as a community-building artist and musician and a decade of experience in museums, with past tenures at The San Diego Natural History Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Botanic Gardens, and The Clyfford Still Museum.

Shannon worked with children and families at local non-profits for 15 years. Many of the families she worked with faced food insecurity. While there were ways to help families get food, there were barriers to this as well. She believes in the zero-barrier, 24/7 aspect of FLPs and sees this as a much needed contribution to the community. One of Shannon’s loves is photography so it made perfect sense to merge that with the FLP movement. She’s happy to be out in the community, photographing amazing pantry hosts and helping spread the word.

Eliana is a product manager at a small tech company in the Seattle area. She is passionate about reducing waste in our food system and making sure everyone has access to nutritious foods. She believes in the power of community support and is excited by the opportunities LFPs provide to develop and strengthen community networks.