WEST JORDAN, Utah — So many people across Utah are trying to help one another right now because of economic conditions and the government shutdown. Even as pantries pop up all over the place, a West Jordan woman was stunned to see the reaction to her front porch food collection.
Kennedy Strong had created a community pantry to help those impacted by the shutdown to fill the void left by missing paychecks and lost benefits.
That's when things nearly went sideways.
“I’m scared for my neighbors and I want them to feel like somebody is looking out for them, and they’re not alone in this time,” said Strong about why she started the pantry. She says passion for feeding the community runs in her family as her Nana was long-time Utah Food Bank leader, Brenda Thompson.
“We lost her about a year ago at this time, and so it’s pretty kismet that now is the time that we need this the most," Strong said Friday.
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Kennedy wanted to find her own way to fill the big shoes left behind by her grandmother.
“Having to go publicly ask for help is another really, really tough thing to do,” she admitted.
So Strong decided to build a small pantry for her Daybreak Hills community, hoping it could help people to take what they need, no questions asked.
“Food pantries are better equipped than I am. For those who can’t get there, I wanted them to know they were not going to go hungry," Strong explained.
But when we met her Friday, Kennedy was emptying shelves after a neighbor knocked over her pantry sign and wrote an anonymous letter.
“I mean, I don’t even want to read it, but I will," Kennedy said.
The anonymous neighbor found the pantry less than helpful.
“If they’re destitute, then they could take anything. So everyone, watch your belongings, they could be gone in the morning," the neighbor warned in the letter.
Kennedy said that the moment she read the letter, she cried. "I couldn’t come up with any phrase other than people suck.”
In the days since she received the harsh letter, a neighboring church gave her a new space, and social media followers have given her new hope.
Jacie Hill stopped by the new spot to bring Christmas gifts for children.
“It was close by, so I figured I had extra stuff and could help,” she shared
Strong feels these interactions overpower the disheartening words she read, and could lead more people to see what’s right about helping others.
“I just hope that you can learn to train your brain to find the positive, to find the hope, to find the joy, and find the ways that you can make a difference," Strong said.
For anyone who needs a meal or maybe wants to donate one, Strong's community pantry can be found along 1300 West, just south of Winchester, right outside the West Jordan River Stake.
