On May 12, 2016, in Fayetteville, AR, Jessica McClard launched the Little Free Pantry Pilot, a box on a post containing food and personal care products available to any one, any time, no questions asked. A little over a month later in Ardmore, OK, CrystalRock Cathedral Women's Ministries launched a spinoff, Blessing Box. By August 2016, the movement was global.
Little Free Pantry administers the most comprehensive map of more than 1300 mini pantries. Some mini pantry networks maintain their own maps for local or regional use. Others are not mapped.
Throughout the US and internationally, the grassroots mini pantry movement continues growing, with mini pantries going by many different names.
