Tips for Building a Shame-Free Food Pantry

“I’ve never done this before.” The client walking in the door was visibly shaking, and she repeatedly dropped her reusable grocery bags as she tried to prop them up in her shopping cart. “I’m really nervous. I never thought I’d need to do this.”

“Well,’ I told her, ‘we’re really glad you made it in today. We’ve got some fun options and I hope you’re able to find some foods that work for your family.” I explained our pantry processes before ushering her to Cannery Row where we keep our nonperishable options, and left her hesitantly browsing the shelves.

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Visiting a food pantry is highly stigmatized. For many shoppers, just having to use this service is embarrassing, humbling, and shameful. While we have a long way to go to overcome cultural biases against receiving food assistance, here is how you can make sure that they do not dominate your food pantry.

1. Let clients shop how they like.

We don’t have a prescribed path by which clients must traverse the food pantry. It’s a small space so the lack of a traffic pattern does cause some serious traffic jams, but we noticed that clients were unnecessarily worried about doing things the “right” way.

I like to tell them, “We’re lawless rebels here so there’s no right or wrong way to shop.” Our clients usually laugh, and the traffic jams slowly work themselves out. People have the option to revisit their food choices, browse as new options are restocked, or even take a break if they get overwhelmed. Freedom from the fear of making a mistake substantially relaxes the atmosphere within our pantry.

2. Allow your visitors to take what they need, rather than telling them what they can have.

Beyond the few items that we do have set limits for because we run chronically low (frozen meat, eggs, cooking oil), the pantry is filled with signs asking clients to take what they need and leave what they do not. We still regularly get questions about how much they can take, and my team takes delight in responding, “as much as you need!” More than once, this answer evokes tears in shoppers who had expected or previously experienced different attitudes.

Clients with big families can load up their shopping carts, or people excited by a food familiar to their culture can take an abundance. Although we usually do not have enough of one item for everyone to take a large amount, the beauty of this system is that because everyone’s needs vary, it all evens out in the end. One client may finish the bell peppers, but the next client will get access to a new bin of potatoes or onions instead. We have never had any client conflict over our unlimited food choices.

3. Celebrate building food security!

We celebrate when people take lots of food. Clients often worry about taking “too much,” so our volunteers gently encourage them to take more and help our visitors enjoy the abundance that we have.

We have also learned that unlimited abundance often results in people taking less food, because they are confident that we have what they need so there’s no urgency in their shopping. We’re here to end hunger, and we know that a full shopping cart means a family knows they have what they need for a few more days.

By having as few rules as possible, we’ve made it so that our shoppers can’t make a mistake which contributes to a relaxed, comfortable environment. Few people who need to use a food pantry are visiting us on their best day, so ensuring that they come to a place where they know they will not be judged, shamed or scrutinized goes a long way to making the food pantry experience more comfortable.

The opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.

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