PAINESVILLE, Ohio — In Painesville, one 9-year-old is using her club to help food insecurities in her city.
Irene Molnar Williams is a 9-year-old who loves to read, bake and serve others. Earlier this year, Irene noticed that hunger was an issue in Painesville, so she came up with a solution and a plan.
“I know there's a lot of little libraries around, and I thought it would be cool to have one with food in it,” said Irene.
Calling it the "Little Free Food Pantry," she then pitched the idea to the Painesville Lions Club at their May meeting, where she's a part of their Cub program for kids under the age of 12.
“I thought this was a wonderful idea. It takes a lot of courage for these kids to come up and speak in front of adults in the club,” said Ernie Richmann with the Painesville Lions Club.
The Lions Club, that’s been dedicated to serving their community for years, took that idea and helped her bring it to life.
After that, Irene and five other Cubs then came up with a proposal that convinced the Lake County YMCA to agree to put the pantry box on their campus. Then the Lions would keep it stocked.
The way it works is people will come up and take what they need, then give what they can. But inside will be more than just food; there will also be little motivational cards so people know they are loved. Because love and support are what has this 9-year-old ready to take on the world.
The pantry is still not complete, but when it’s done, it will open on Thanksgiving morning at the Lake County Central YMCA's annual Turkey Day 5k.
