Talya's Pantry at Tranzmission

Before the pandemic, we had an office that we loved. It was full of art created by nonbinary and transgender artists, a library dedicated to books written for and about the transgender experience, and it was a safe work and meeting space for us where we gathered to plan the programs and meetings for the upcoming months. But the rapid spread of Covid-19 made it impossible for us to continue to share a workspace on a daily basis, and we shifted to a work-from-home model like so many other organizations. That left an empty office, and the choice to let go of the space we loved, or to find a way to make it useful in such unprecedented times. We choose the only option we thought we could. We turned our office into a community food pantry. 

Desks were replaced with storage shelves. We partnered with our local food bank and received training for proper food handling and distribution. Schedules were reworked so that one person can be in the office each day, maintaining safe social distancing. Our office became a resource for community members who are experiencing food insecurity due to the pandemic. 

Since our first delivery over the summer, our volunteers have distributed more than 950 food boxes and fed over 1800 people. Unlike many food pantries, we are available for socially distanced pick-up by appointment as well as delivery for those who have been most severely affected by Covid-19, and are not able to get out to get food for themselves. We also offer pet food and basic household and hygiene supplies. 

Even with these victories, we were still met with many challenges. Covid-19 was not part of our budgeting plan, so creating a new program on the fly was something that we didn't expect. Purchasing shelves, safety equipment, PPE, and other supplies was not something we were prepared for. We have only been able to provide shelf stable items in our food boxes because we have not yet been able to purchase a refrigerator or freezer.