Little pantry outside Etna food pantry will help ensure people have food when they need it

A food pantry outside a food pantry might at first seem a bit redundant, but Walter Moser sees a new little pantry serving a purpose outside the Bread of Life Food Pantry in Etna.

The little pantry, an Eagle Scout project for Holden Driver, 16, of Aspinwall, was installed July 12 outside Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church, also home to Bread of Life.

While Bread of Life distributes food on the first three Wednesdays of each month, the little pantry will be available anytime anyone needs it, said Moser, co-president of the Bread of Life board with his wife, Donna.

“There are food insecurity issues in Etna,” he said. “It could fill an emergency need for people.”

It also could help people who are eligible to come to Bread of Life but don’t because their pride keeps them away, Moser said.

“They can go to the little pantry and get something,” he said. “It serves an important purpose in the community.”

Driver, who will be a junior in the fall at Fox Chapel Area High School, is a member of Boy Scout Troop 380 based out of Christ Church Fox Chapel.

His family are members of Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, and Bread of Life is one of its mission partners, said Driver’s mother, Tracy.

She had been a Girl Scout and earned the Gold Award, the equivalent of the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout.

“We’ve done food drives for them and stock the shelves events for them. That was really meaningful for Holden,” she said. “When it came time to do an Eagle project, he had our pastor reach out to Bread of Life. They said that they would like a little free pantry on-site. There’s already one somewhere else in Etna, but if there’s one on-site it would be easier for them to refill.”

Holden committed himself to achieving Eagle Scout rank when he first became a Boy Scout and was inspired by seeing another Scout do so.

“I decided on this project because I firmly believe in Bread of Life and their mission and because I believe in the importance of helping those in our community who are in need,” he said.

With the help of his dad, Jim, the project took five months to complete.

“A lot of that time was spent planning and designing the pantry. My dad made designs using CAD that we followed during construction. I led a few members of my troop over the course of a few building sessions and worked on other parts myself,” Holden Driver said.

“I think that the box turned out very well,” he said. “I think it is adequately sized and positioned, and I think it looks good by the church.”

Driver ran a food drive at school to get the pantry started. While residents can leave food in it, Moser said Bread of Life will keep the pantry filled.

“The box should be good without me from now on, but I will be available if the box needs to be maintained or has some flaw exposed,” Driver said. “I hope that the box will be a convenient way for people in need to receive food when they need it. If they can’t wait, they will have something to lean on.”

His brother, Jonah, 15, is working on his own Eagle Scout project, making improvements to the Kim Baysek-Young Memorial Trail at Reserve Primary School. It’s expected to be done by the end of summer, Tracy Driver said.

Baysek-Young, 43, a third grade teacher at the school, died in September 2020.

The brothers also have a sister, Kathryn, 11, who is a Girl Scout.

Tracy Driver said she is proud of her son’s work on the pantry.

“I think the pantry will be really beneficial to not just Etna but people from surrounding communities who use Bread of Life,” she said.