Need food? There’s a stocked pantry on a porch in Dormont
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A Dormont woman is doing her part to help those who need it, while continuing to practice recommended social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Carla Chugani has a food pantry on her porch stocked with necessities donated by others who want to help. The pantry, on the porch of Chugani’s home at 2958 Belrose Ave., is stocked with non-perishable staples, paper products and other items people may need.
In the vein of the Little Free Libraries that have become common parts of many neighborhoods, Chugani’s pantry was built with the help of a neighbor before the pandemic. It had been in her basement when covid-19 cases started being reported in Allegheny County, and Chugani saw she could help meet an urgent need.
“It just seemed really important. We saw this immediate need for basic things,” Chugani said.
She set it up and stocked it Saturday and shared it on a Dormont-area Facebook group.
“The donations started coming in,” Chugani said.
The response to the pantry has been heartwarming, and judging from the items that have been in the largest demand, most of the people using the pantry have children.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Chugani said.
Things like juice boxes, applesauce and other kid-friendly foods have been popular. She’s also trying to keep it stocked with individually wrapped rolls of toilet paper and paper towels that are hard to find in area stores.
It’s important to provide things that are scarce because people who need these items don’t have the money to drive from store to store in search of what they need, Chugani said.
She’s asking that people leave donations near the pantry. She takes the donated items inside and restocks the pantry as needed.
Because the pantry is outside, it’s important that donated items are unused, sealed and non-perishable products that aren’t expired or damaged, Chugani said.
Space is also at a premium, so things that take up less space are best — pre-packaged pasta or rice side dishes, boxes of spaghetti and canned goods.
“I’m trying to focus on things that have high nutritional value,” Chugani said.
Chugani is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. She feels fortunate that she and her husband, Patrick Keim, can work from home, she said.
“This is an opportunity for me to try and step up for my community and do something for folks not as fortunate as I am,” Chugani said. “I think that the pantry has given me something to focus on, to take my mind off being scared.”
To those who’ve donated, Chugani has this message, which in most cases she hasn’t been able to share personally: “It is really moving to see the way this community has come together to take care of our own.”
To those using the pantry: “You should feel free to come and take what you need without any shame or embarrassment because we are all in this together,” Chugani said.
People with specific requests can email hatefreedormont@gmail.com.