CALS operates 11 library branches as meal sites. The pantries are regularly filled with shelf-stable food by volunteers, neighbors, and community members. To ensure the pantries are meeting the needs of the communities they serve, suggestion boxes encourage users to request culturally relevant foods and provide dietary preferences.  

Due to an increase in food costs, as well as limited grant funding available for food goods, Be Mighty is seeking support in funding for shelf-stable goods and fresh food items to support the Little Free Pantry and Community Fridge programs: 

$1 provides 1 package of Starkist Chunk Light Tuna or a package of hot dog buns 

$5 supports a 6-pack of Rice-A-Roni or a dozen eggs and a package of Kraft Singles 

$10 provides a 10-count of tomato sauce or three dozen bananas

$15 purchases a 12 cans of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup or 5 gallons of Milk 

$20 supports 104 packages of Quaker Instant Oatmeal or 4 loaves of white bread 

$50 purchases 10 packages of Land-O-Frost Roast Beef or 48 cans of Beanee Weenees 

Currently, the state of Arkansas ranks second in the nation for the highest rate of food insecurity at 17%. Food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life (Feeding America). 444,130 Arkansans are facing hunger - and of those people, 138,410 are children. In Pulaski County, the rate of food insecurity among children is even higher than the state average, at 22%.  

 In addition to operating Little Free Pantries, Be Mighty supports 40 USDA meal distribution sites throughout the city. 

While USDA meal distribution remains Be Mighty’s chief priority, since the program’s founding, our understanding of the need for access to resources and our knowledge of holistic ways to address food insecurity in our community has grown. In addition to USDA meal distribution, the program also offers innovative solutions to alleviate food insecurity for children and families by providing direct access to supplementary food sources, facilitating connections to resources, and sharing nutrition education. 

Building on the success of the LFPs, in December of 2022, we installed a community refrigerator at the McMath Library, where it is restocked weekly with fresh, perishable food items for patrons. In addition to the fridge, McMath serves as a USDA meal site and hosts an LFP and a community garden and accompanying farmstand. Since the fridge’s installation, staff have reported that after fully restocking it, most contents are gone within a day or two. Be Mighty Coordinator Jessica Frazier-Emerson has partnered with Potluck Food Rescue to stock the fridge weekly, and local community members and service groups have also provided supplementary food donations. With proof of concept in this first fridge, Be Mighty installed a second community fridge at the Nixon Library in Jacksonville, Arkansas in May of 2023. 

Thank you for investing in this critical program.