Micro food pantries being developed by Sewickley Academy student

A Sewickley Academy junior hopes to help fight food insecurity in Sewickley and surrounding areas.

Claudia Kronk, 17, founder of the bakery Desserts by Claudia, wants to install four micro food pantries stocked with nonperishables and other goods. Possible spots include Leetsdale, Coraopolis and Sewickley.

She said she became inspired to do something after working with restaurants through her business.

“I’ve come to notice how much food goes to waste in the restaurant business,” Kronk said. “I also was doing some research and I found … in the Allegheny County area, 1 in 7 people are food insecure, and 29% of those people don’t receive federal funding for food.

“When I looked into it, I found that micro pantries can be a really good way to combat that. It’s really an easy way for people to get help without having to go through the long steps and processes of going through the federal government.”

About 161,000 people in Allegheny County are food insecure and at least 158,300 people receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, according to statistics from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s website.

The micro food pantries are repurposed metal newspaper stands that are approximately 3 feet tall and about 19 inches wide with two sections of storage space. One section would be for food and the other for hygiene products.

Kronk said she acquired the food pantries through John Knowles of Impact Racks, an artist on Etsy. Cost was about $300 each.

Kronk is assisted in her efforts by her brother, Hunter, 14, a freshman at Quaker Valley High School.

“When my sister brought it up to me, I thought it was a good idea,” Hunter Kronk said.

Another goal of the project is to get more student and community involvement. Claudia and Hunter plan to organize food drives at their respective schools this year to help with the pantries.

“I remember in prior years when I was in the elementary up to middle school, when there’s food drives almost everybody that could participate would bring in cans of food, pasta and stuff just trying to help out,” Hunter said.

Claudia said they may make a contest to see which class could bring in the most food and supplies.

“It’s exciting,” said their mother, Jennifer Kronk. “I’m proud of them both. They’re both hard workers. They’re really focused.”

Partnerships

The Kronks have partnered with the Sewickley YMCA at 625 Blackburn Road to find locations for the pantries.

In 2020, the YMCA launched a pantry program and has installed six free mini food pantries throughout the area.

They are located at Laughlin Memorial Library along 11th Street in Ambridge, at the Fair Oaks Fire Department along Ambridge Avenue, Henle Park along Beaver Street in Leetsdale, Sewickley Community Center along Chadwich Street in Sewickley, Pathway Church along Division Avenue in Crescent and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Washington and Logan streets in Sewickley.

The YMCA and volunteers including MJ Crane, Stephanie O’Kane, Nancy Merrill, Glennis Levine, Stephanie Turner, Eileen Kravitz, Ed Kaminski, Laura Geason, Sara and George Portoulas and others have monitored and restocked the food panties regularly.

“We are so excited when young people like Claudia reach out and want to join our committed volunteers who have been restocking the pantries for the last two years,” said Amy Richardson, Sewickley YMCA director of development and communications. “People often think that Sewickley is an area that doesn’t have residents facing food insecurity, but that’s not the case. The Free Mini Pantry program would not be possible without a team of volunteers, and I’m grateful for their commitment to the community.”

The YMCA will host a Souper Bowl Food Drive throughout February to help with the pantry project. Unopened and unexpired food items can be dropped off in the lobby.

Items in need include soups, crackers, pretzels, peanut butter and jelly, pancake mix and syrup, pasta, rice, dry cereal, canned meats, potatoes and fruits.

One of Claudia’s micro pantries will be installed at St. Paul Lutheran Church to compliment the existing one.

The Rev. Ryan Kobert said his congregation installed a snack box, an even smaller version of a micro pantry, years ago in support of Blessings in a Backpack. The national nonprofit is dedicated to ensure children do not go hungry.

Kobert said Quaker Valley Middle School is just a few blocks away from the church, and children often stop by for a snack.

“We know that we alone are not going to solve food insecurity,” Kobert said. “We have no illusions that we are the only ones that are going to fix the problem, but we are happy to do our part. We can help people in this little way in which there is no judgment. It’s something exciting for the kids to know there is a place to grab a snack. It’s a sense of pride and joy for our congregation to know we’re doing our part to help serve the community.”

Claudia helps keep the snack box filled every few days. Kobert credits the Sewickley YMCA for connecting the church with Claudia, and believes the micro pantry will be a welcomed addition to the community.

“We’re working together to get that installed and make sure it’s safe and to borough standards,” Kobert said. “It’s been really a blessing to be so connected to people of other organizations to help out like this.”

The food pantry project is one of many resume bullet points for Claudia, who worked last year as a food policy intern with the City of Pittsburgh’s Division of Sustainability and Resilience. She also plays lacrosse, teaches a baking class for kids and is involved in a variety of extra curricular activities.

“I do sleep,” Claudia joked. “I think it’s all about time management. I do my desserts before school and after school. I try to keep a very good schedule with that, and I do my homework. Right now, I’m not in lacrosse season. Lacrosse season kind of changes that. I have to do desserts a little later in the day, but it’s pretty easy to balance (the schedule) whenever you love what you’re doing.

“Baking has always been a passion of mine. Being able to work with food insecurity to help others, while also relating it back to my business, kind of ties everything in and makes it easy to do. When you’re doing something you love, it doesn’t necessarily feel like work or a chore.”

Those who want to help support the pantries can email Claudia at claudia@dessertsbyclaudia.shop.