A little pantry with a big heart and open hands

Becky and Ashley Smith are on a mission to help feed people in need from the basement of their Town of Fredonia home.

The couple started Open Hands Collective last fall. That was about the time the federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was slated to end, and Becky’s social media algorithm showed “communities all over the place doing little pantries.”

She brought the idea to start a pantry to Ashley on Oct. 30.

“It was really inspiring,” Ashley said.

The Waubeka area, Becky said, doesn’t have a pantry or a church serving the hungry.

“If we discover there’s a need, why would we not do it?” Becky said. “That was all the motivation we needed.”

They opened five days later, Nov. 4, with a Facebook page.

Within days, their first drive-through collection was held at Big Joe’s Gas and Convenience store and Jen’s Place held a bingo night with Open Hands Collective as the beneficiary. In December, a collection drive was held at Drew’s True Value in Port Washington.

Donation buckets are at Jen’s and Belle Dieci Nails in Saukville, and the Smiths accept donations of money, nonperishable food, cleaning and personal items at their home at N5484 Second St.

“The response we’ve gotten from the community has been incredible,” Becky said.

The organization is nonprofit but not yet officially a 501(c)(3). That designation is next on the list, Ashley said.

The room in their basement designated for storage is about the size of a pantry. It was once a children’s toy room.

“This is not a warehouse. I like the idea of neighbors helping neighbors,” Becky said.

The Smiths deliver food across Ozaukee County. Families don’t have to be home; food can be left at the doorstop.

The couple don’t require proof of income. The request form only asks what people need and for their name and address, and only the Smiths see that information.

“We don’t require income checks. I don’t need to see your driver’s license to make sure you live here,” Becky said. “There’s no red tape.”

And many people don’t need help for long. Sometimes, it’s to fill a gap in between paychecks. In one case, a child lost his inhaler and replacing it before it was empty cost hundreds of dollars.

“It could mess up dinner for the week. This just helps folks get out of a hiccup,” Becky said.

“It doesn’t look how it looks in the movies. It’s not tent city.”

The couple assemble meal kits for families with all the ingredients and the recipes, such as chicken dumpling soup, tuna noodle casserole or sausage skillets. Peanut butter and jelly and spaghetti sauce and pasta are in nearly every box. They also cater to food allergies.

“Shelf-stable proteins are one of the things we’re discovering,” Becky said.

Several cans of beans were donated at the Big Joe’s drive, so Ashley created a southwest burrito kit.

They love getting donations of canned chicken and tuna, but they’ll take anything.

“We are not picky. I promise we will figure out a way to get it to be useful,” Ashley said.

They even provide birthday kits with a cake, frosting, sparkles, a candle and can of soda, which replaces the egg and water.

The two are providing a service that they could have benefited from growing up in Milwaukee.

“I wish this was an option when I was a kid,” Ashley said.

“Food insecurity was a thing,” Becky said, adding “even when our boy was little.”

Their son is now 20 and lives on his own.

Their childhood experiences aren’t uncommon, even among donors.

“Some say I’m blessed now but not always,” Becky said.

Besides food, cleaning and personal hygiene items for males and females, including diapers, are high priority, just like what many area food pantries request.

Monetary donations are used to purchase the right size and types of items.

Both work in retail “so we know how to make a penny stretch when we need to,” Ashley said.

Ashley is a manager at Walmart in Saukville and Becky is with Serv-U-Success, a merchandising and product management company, and works out of Meijer in Grafton.

They see the need among all ages, but Becky has noticed it more among senior citizens since she delivers groceries for Walmart as a part-time job. 

“People say if it wasn’t for this, they don’t know what they’d do,” Becky said.

While the need is there, the Smiths want to keep their operation manageable.

“We’re small intentionally. I want it to be community helping community,” Becky said.

“We’ve helped dozens. It doesn’t sound big, but this has been significant for those people.”

They are still seeking other businesses to house bins that they will manage and for places to hold drive-through drives.

Outside of work and their new organization, the Smiths like to travel across the U.S., have won trivia contests for slasher films and Disney movies at Inventors Brew Pub in Port Washington and like to cook. One of Becky’s specialties is jalapeno pepper chicken, and Ashley is learning to grill a perfect steak.

Open Hands Collective, however, remains a top priority.

“I want us to be able to sustain this. I want people in need to reach out,” Becky said. “I have no reason to believe the community will stop showing up for us.”

“Everybody says this is needed,” Ashley said.

For more information on donating and receiving items, visit Open Hands Collective’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/55f65hpy.