SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — When tasked with designing a class project, the Leadership Sullivan Class of 2025 decided to focus on an issue of great importance to the county community: food insecurity. 

The class chose to create a series of community pantries throughout Sullivan County, sturdy boxes filled with food and supplies for those in need. The boxes now stand in five locations throughout the county; see sidebar  for a listing. 

The Narrowsburg box can be found at the offices of the River Reporter. Publisher Laurie Stuart participated in the Leadership Sullivan media day and connected with class president Jen Jensen. Jensen asked if the River Reporter wanted to host a box. 

Lori James, class facilitator for the class of 2025, spoke at the Narrowsburg ribbon cutting and said that the goal for a class project is for it to have longevity and a legacy. 

“This class, they hit it out of the ballpark,” she said. 

Jensen said the boxes help target the problem of food insecurity by giving those in need a level of autonomy. She said people might not feel comfortable coming to a food bank, whereas the standalone boxes allow people to get what they need on their own terms. 

“There’s a real food insecurity problem in Sullivan County right now,” she said.

Jensen and Stuart are aiming for the little pantry at the River Reporter to be a creative hub that connects the community to healthy food and increases our community’s resilience in the face of systemic hunger. According to A Single Bite, a Sullivan County nonprofit that provides over 900 meals to families weekly, one out of five children in Sullivan County is hungry. Visit asinglebite.org.