When Jennifer and Adam Parker started their free pantry service, Tiny Pantry Times, in 2020, "tiny" might have been an appropriate word for it.
"It was a sad little box, with doors that didn't quite shut," Jennifer Parker told KCUR's Up To Date.
But tiny is probably an understatement today. Three years into its operation, it's become the couple's "second full-time job."
The pantry serves 18,000 pounds of food and supplies a month — enough for around 3,000 people, according to Parker. They've outgrown their front yard, and are working to move to a larger space nearby.
As the Johnson County Post reported, the pantry's growth had prompted some complaints from neighbors and concerns from the city — which said it violated several rules.
Tiny Pantry Times doesn't ask those who use the pantry to demonstrate need. That's made it hard to obtain grant funding, but for the Parkers, the openness is intentional.
"One of the things we hear over and over again is how embarrassing it is to come to a pantry, and how degrading some of the paperwork is in order to get food," Parker said. "We do not ask any questions except, 'Are you getting what you need?'"
- Jennifer Parker, Tiny Pantry Times
