The Brief
- A Novato woman temporarily turned her little free libraries into miniature food pantries to support the community during the government shutdown.
- North Marin Community Services, a host site for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, has more than 100 people on a waitlist for services.
- There is an ask for non-perishable foods to stock up in case of an emergency food crisis as SNAP payments are paused.
NOVATO, Calif. – As CalFresh recipients remain in limbo with payments still on hold, a Novato woman turned her little free libraries into miniature food pantries to support the community during the government shutdown.
Siobhan Gibson, who lives just down the street from San Marin High School, is building her third little library case to fill it with food.
She started out providing books that are banned in schools across the country, calling it the “Blacklisted Bookshelf,” but when the government shutdown started impacting SNAP beneficiaries, she decided to pivot.
Paying it forward
Last week, she began restocking two libraries outside her home. One with non-perishables and one with household products like feminine hygiene products and deodorant.…