A pay-it-forward market in Wheatley is giving residents a new option for their groceries.
The Village Pantry, located at the Village Resource Center at 108 Talbot St. E., will have a grand opening Saturday, which is Food Day Canada. A partnership between the center and the Wheatley Area Food Bank, the pantry has local produce, meat, other groceries and pet and household items available by donation.
“’It takes a village’ is not just a commonly used phrase _ it’s a way of life here in Wheatley,” Susan Fulmer, founder and CEO of the Village Resource Centre, said in a news release Monday. “We support one another whenever and however we can.”
The pantry was inspired by the Harvest Markets run by the Prosperity Roundtable, which is partnering on the initiative. Those markets took fresh produce out to different communities in Chatham-Kent.
“It has been great working with Susan and her team on this,” Phillip Mock, project co-ordinator for the roundtable, said in the release. “This is just one of many impactful ideas from the Village Resource Centre, and we’re excited to see what’s next.”
The pantry will have a suggested donation model meant to cover the costs of the items while paying it forward to those experiencing food insecurity, the release said.
For now, the pantry will be open Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, but the release said more days and times are coming soon.