The good Cornellians can do: Irene Hendricks ’86

Irene Hendricks ’86 recalls the height of the pandemic, when neighbors were waiting in their cars for hours to access local food pantries. “The need was so great that pantries often ran out,” she recalls.

After reading about the national Little Free Pantry movement, Irene realized that her church provided a perfect location—centrally located on a main road served by a bus route. Irene got to work mobilizing members of her congregation, including an architect who designed the Stamford LFP. Church members raised funds to build the pantry, including through a grant from the Stamford Rotary Club, and Irene shepherded the project through the local health department approval process.

Members of Irene’s church take turns stocking the pantry. A club at the neighboring high school and local Scout troops help keep the pantry supplied by running donation drives.

“Founding an LFP is incredibly rewarding and something more folks should consider doing!” Irene says. “It’s been a positive step we could take as a faith community to meet the needs of our neighbors.”

Cornellians around the globe are sharing how they do good in communities big and small. Share your own story.