FAIRBORN — Greene County Public Health (GCPH) plans to open the first of four local food pantries in Fairborn on July 14 under the name Little Pantry.

According to Greene County Public Health, the other three stations will unveiled later this summer once locations and dates are all set. Two pantries will open in Xenia and one in Jamestown.

Fairborn’s Little Pantry will be unveiled at 25 S. Central Avenue. SafeTrade is hosting a Backyard BBQ event at the same time as the unveiling, from 1-4 p.m.

The public is invited to the BBQ and unveiling of the new pantry and encouraged to bring non-perishable items to donate. The pantry accepts all kinds of non-perishable canned goods, home supplies, hygiene products and more. A full list of acceptable items can be found at gcph.info.

The Little Pantry is part of the GCPH’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) program. HEAL is designed to target obesity and chronic disease associated with unhealthy eating habits.The program specifically aims to send out resources to underserved communities and populations that struggle with obesity and food insecurity, as well as poor nutrition and physical activity.

The Little Pantry is just one of many local food pantries in the Fairborn area, one of the most popular being the Fairborn FISH Pantry.

According to Jane Doorley, executive director of Fairborn FISH, GCPH reached out to the community for support in setting up the Little Pantry on opening day.

“They’ve asked if we would support them if we can,” she said. “And we’re always willing to support other pantries.”

According to Doorley, the Little Pantry functions at a much smaller scale than the FISH Pantry, and she does not see it interfering with how the FISH provides outreach.

“We’re all trying to do the same thing,” she said. “Helping our neighbors in need.”

The Little Pantry is just that, little, and doesn’t require the huge volunteer base that the FISH Pantry utilizes. With more than 70 volunteers and a crowd of more than 400 every day of operation, Doorley said she is not concerned with losing any support for her food pantry, and she’s happy to see others stepping up and providing food for those in need.

“We’ll continue to do what we do,” she said.

Contact Ethan Charles at 937-502-4532.