PICKERINGTON, Ohio — It started as a few canned goods to donate to a food pantry.
When Chad Plum never got around to it, he ended up bringing the food pantry to him.
Shepard’s Pantry, he says, was constructed by him, instructed by God and built out of tough times.
“This pantry basically started right when COVID started,” he said.
A way to help the homeless, the elderly on fixed incomes and the COVID casualties who had lost their jobs and money to buy food.
Plum says COVID is still creating a need, not to mention the school-aged children who might no longer have access to a free school lunch during the summer.
Feeding America says, right now, there are 13 million children in the country who don’t know where their next meal is coming from and it looks to distribute 54 million meals through meal programs this summer.
"I hate seeing people in need and just not getting what they need,” Plum said.
Plum doesn’t run an organization or a nonprofit capable of widespread outreach.
“I’ve just been doing it out of my own home and just getting donations,” he said.
Locally, though, he’s doing what he can and he’s helping to do his part for a work in progress.
“There’s so many people out there in need and this is just one little thing I can do to help out,” he said.
You can make donations to Plum who is located at 3399 Sweetser Court in Pickerington.
If you are looking for help finding meals during the summer, click here.