One aspect of a good community project is that it brings the community together. That is exactly what happened with The Haymarket Free Little Pantry.
Naomi Schneider, 17, a life-long resident of Haymarket and senior at Gainesville High School, is a Life Scout of the Scouts of America and founding member of 924G, a girls troop that meets in Sudley Methodist Church in Manassas.
Schneider is a candidate for Eagle Scout, and last spring she started thinking about her community project. She had been on several mission trips to rural North Carolina with The Haymarket Church and seen what are called “Free Little Pantries.”
Free little pantries are modeled after free little libraries; however, instead of books, they hold non-perishable food items.
“There’s no limit on who can or cannot take things,” Schneider said. “If you can give, give, and just take what you need.”
Synchronicity resulted in Schneider choosing the project. Patty Hessenauer, community outreach director at The Haymarket Baptist Church had been thinking about installing such a pantry. She talked to Brian Wendel, scoutmaster of 924B, who suggested the idea to Schneider.
Schneider thought the project would fill a real need and liked the centralized location in town. “It is really important for me to give back to the community where I’ve formed so many awesome friendships and connections,” she said.
Building the pantry was a team effort. Gainesville High School senior Leland Burrows used CAD software from his engineering class to create a 3D rendering of the pantry. Troop members helped with carpentry and painting.
Eagles Scouts Jacob Hoffman and David Nagashima of Troop 924B and Eagle Scout project mentor Ed Shanahan provided assistance and guidance.
The project came together as intended, so that The Haymarket Free Little Pantry now resides in front of HBC.
Schneider credits HBC for going above and beyond. “I’m just really grateful to them for all their support and generosity. It definitely wouldn’t have been possible without them.”
Most importantly, the community is being served; people are being fed. While people do not think of Haymarket as a place where people need assistance, Schneider saw a need.
“Food insecurity tends to fly under the radar,” Schneider explained. “Things that happened out of the blue and people who never had to ask were suddenly needing food assistance.”
She liked that the pantry allows people to access the food without having to be “super vulnerable.” Often food will come and go a few times a day.
“I was definitely shocked after we built it by how quickly it was emptied. It’s either filled to the brim or gets restocked almost immediately. The church is quick to refill it,” Schneider said.
For a long time the community was served by the Haymarket Food Pantry. When that nonprofit moved to Limestone Drive in Gainesville, it created a hurdle for people without transportation or coming from parts west of the town.
The Haymarket Baptist Church did its best to fill the need with its own food pantry. However, pastor Mark Olsen said he did not realize the true extent of need until the free little pantry opened.
“The [original] food pantry is inside, and you need to knock or make an appointment,” said Olsen. The outdoor pantry is more convenient and cuts out the middleman.
“The food comes and goes very quickly, which shows the need is even greater than I realized,” he said. “Naomi’s project has been a real Godsend.”
The Haymarket Free Little Pantry is the first of its kind in the county, a point of pride for the town, and on Dec. 4 the town council held a ribbon-cutting for it. Although the event honored Schneider, she said the main purpose was to highlight the pantry itself.
“[The church and the town council] want people to know that it is there and it is accessible if they need it,” Schneider said. “We want to inform people of its function. It is really to just bring awareness.
The Haymarket Free Little Pantry is at 14800 Washington St., Haymarket. Anyone can donate or take food. Food is also available inside the church
A Scout pioneer
Back in 2019 when the Boy Scouts of America opened scouting to girls, Naomi Schneider was among the first to join. Her father and grandfather both made Eagle Scout and she wanted to be involved with the Scouts’ camping and survival activities as well as learn about leadership and community service.
Scoutmaster Liv Martin has also been with Troop 924G since its founding. Martin calls Schneider a “trailblazer.”
“She pioneered what the other girls are coming into, and recruited from middle school,” Martin said. “She’s just been an excellent role model for all of the girls – not just all of the girls, all of the scouts.”
Schneider recruited girls who had never been Cub Scouts to join the upper ranks. “[Star, Life and Eagle are] focused on leadership, and it’s up to the Scout how quickly you progress,” Martin said.
Martin is a scoutmaster for both the Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts. She loves both, but girls have always wanted to take part in Boy Scout activities, herself included. “My dream was to be a Scout.”
Martin believes Schneider is charting a path for a new generation of female Scouts. “It’s awesome to see our girls and our founding members progress to Eagle.”
Since joining the Scouts, Schneider said she has assumed leadership roles, which has taught her planning, organizing and delegating, and made her more self-assured.
She encourages others to get involved in their community and be of service.
“It’s a ripple effect. It’s a rewarding process,” she said. “You can really see you make an effect as I have with the little food pantry.”
Stacy Shaw is the contributing editor of Haymarket-Gainesville Lifestyle Magazine and publisher/owner of BristowBeat.com.
Support Bristow Beat - Donate Today!
