Vermont residents inspire action with free food pantry in wake of SNAP benefit delays
LIVE IN THE NEWS ROOM JAMES MALONEY NBC 5 NEWS. FOOD BANKS HAVE BEEN EXTRA BUSY... WITH MANY PEOPLE UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO RECEIVE THEIR SNAP BENEFITS again. ONE COUPLE IN ATHENS VERMONT has DECIDED TO TAKE ACTION BY CREATING A FREE FOOD BANK OUTSIDE of THEIR HOME. NBC5’s LINDSAY JONES tells us KRISTA GAY PUT TOGETHER THIS HOMEMADE FOOD PANTRY USING OLD BINS, CARDBOARD, AND EXTRA GROCERIES ABOUT A WEEK AGO TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THOSE STRUGGLING NEARBY. LITTLE DID SHE KNOW, HER EFFORTS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP FEED HER NEIGHBORS BUT ALSO INSPIRE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. KRISTA GAY AND HER HUSBAND CHRISTIAN ROGERSON CAME UP WITH THE IDEA LAST SUNDAY... AFTER READING ABOUT S…
Vermont residents inspire action with free food pantry in wake of SNAP benefit delays
LIVE IN THE NEWS ROOM JAMES MALONEY NBC 5 NEWS. FOOD BANKS HAVE BEEN EXTRA BUSY... WITH MANY PEOPLE UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO RECEIVE THEIR SNAP BENEFITS again. ONE COUPLE IN ATHENS VERMONT has DECIDED TO TAKE ACTION BY CREATING A FREE FOOD BANK OUTSIDE of THEIR HOME. NBC5’s LINDSAY JONES tells us KRISTA GAY PUT TOGETHER THIS HOMEMADE FOOD PANTRY USING OLD BINS, CARDBOARD, AND EXTRA GROCERIES ABOUT A WEEK AGO TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THOSE STRUGGLING NEARBY. LITTLE DID SHE KNOW, HER EFFORTS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP FEED HER NEIGHBORS BUT ALSO INSPIRE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. KRISTA GAY AND HER HUSBAND CHRISTIAN ROGERSON CAME UP WITH THE IDEA LAST SUNDAY... AFTER READING ABOUT SNAP BENEFITS EXPIRING AND FEELING OVERWHELMED. GAY SAID THAT HER TOWN DOESN’T HAVE A FOOD BANK AND MANY PEOPLE NEAR HER DON’T HAVE CARS. WITH BENEFITS CUT, SHE WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO HELP. THE TWO DECIDED TO START A FREE PANTRY IN THEIR FRONT YARD. GAY SAID IT WAS SIMPLE TO PUT TOGETHER. THEY MAINLY USED TO ITEMS THEY ALREADY OWNED. THEY FILLED BINS WITH PASTA, CANNED VEGGIES, RICE AND MORE. GAY AND ROGERSON SAY PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN ITEMS FROM THE PANTRY EVERYDAY. OTHERS HAVE HELPED FILL IT BY LEAVING DONATIONS. GAY DOCUMENTED THIS PROCESS ON TIK TOK, RECORDING VIDEOS OF THE PANTRY HOPING TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO GIVE BACK. THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLE. MANY OF THESE VIDEOS HAVE GONE VIRAL. GAY SAYS PEOPLE HAVE COMMENTED GREAT SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE PANTRY, LIKE CAN OPENERS AND CANNED MEAT. THE COUPLE SAYS THEY’RE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK ONLINE AND TO hope to CREATE A DOMINO EFFECT OF GOOD DEEDS. Sot Krista Gay “The videos have gotten over 3 million views, which is insane because Vermont only has like 600,000 and something. But the support has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve gotten messages and photos of people that have started their own little free pantries, including a woman in Cleveland, a church group in Arizona started one because they said we inspired them.” GAY SAYS HER ACCOUNT HAS GROWN FROM SEVERAL HUNDRED TO OVER FORTY THOUSAND FOLLOWERS SINCE SHE STARTED POSTING HER FOOD BANK. SHES SAYS ITS TO SEE AMAZI
Vermont residents inspire action with free food pantry in wake of SNAP benefit delays
Updated: 12:26 PM CST Nov 5, 2025
Food banks have been extra busy with many people uncertain about when they are going to receive their SNAP benefits. One couple in Athens, Vermont, decided to take action by creating a free food pantry outside of their home. Krista Gay put together a homemade food pantry using old bins, cardboard and extra groceries about a week ago to show support to those struggling nearby. Little did she know her efforts would not only feed her neighbors but also inspire millions of people across the country. Gay and her husband, Christian Rogerson, came up with the idea last Sunday after reading about SNAP benefits expiring and feeling overwhelmed. “My town doesn’t have a food shelf, and I know that there are vulnerable people in my town that don’t even have cars to go to those places,” said Gay.With benefits cut, she said she wanted to find a way to help. The two decided to start a free pantry in their front yard. They said it was simple to put together. “If you don’t have a food pantry in your town that is already able to do something like this, all it takes is some bins, cardboard, and a marker and tape,” said Rogerson. They filled bins with pasta, canned veggies, rice and more. Gay said people have taken items from the pantry every day since they started. Others have helped fill it by leaving donations. “Every single day, we take this in at night to refill it. And every day stuff is gone,” she explained. Gay documented this process on TikTok, recording videos of the pantry, hoping to encourage others to give back. The response has been unbelievable. Many of these videos have gone viral. “The day I posted it, I posted it before I went to bed. And then I woke up and it had like 30,000 views,” Gay said. One of her videos now has over 2 million views. Gay said people have commented great suggestions of what to include in the pantry, like can openers, spices and canned meat. The couple is grateful for all the positive feedback online, and they hope to create a domino effect of good deeds. “We’ve gotten messages and photos of people that have started their own little free pantries, including a woman in Cleveland, a church group in Arizona started one because they said we inspired them,” she said. Gay revealed her account has grown from several hundred to over 40,000 followers since she started posting her food bank. She’s been amazed to see how quickly kindness can spread.
Food banks have been extra busy with many people uncertain about when they are going to receive their SNAP benefits. One couple in Athens, Vermont, decided to take action by creating a free food pantry outside of their home.
Krista Gay put together a homemade food pantry using old bins, cardboard and extra groceries about a week ago to show support to those struggling nearby. Little did she know her efforts would not only feed her neighbors but also inspire millions of people across the country.
Gay and her husband, Christian Rogerson, came up with the idea last Sunday after reading about SNAP benefits expiring and feeling overwhelmed.
“My town doesn’t have a food shelf, and I know that there are vulnerable people in my town that don’t even have cars to go to those places,” said Gay.
With benefits cut, she said she wanted to find a way to help. The two decided to start a free pantry in their front yard. They said it was simple to put together.
“If you don’t have a food pantry in your town that is already able to do something like this, all it takes is some bins, cardboard, and a marker and tape,” said Rogerson.
They filled bins with pasta, canned veggies, rice and more. Gay said people have taken items from the pantry every day since they started. Others have helped fill it by leaving donations.
“Every single day, we take this in at night to refill it. And every day stuff is gone,” she explained.
Gay documented this process on TikTok, recording videos of the pantry, hoping to encourage others to give back. The response has been unbelievable. Many of these videos have gone viral.
“The day I posted it, I posted it before I went to bed. And then I woke up and it had like 30,000 views,” Gay said.
One of her videos now has over 2 million views. Gay said people have commented great suggestions of what to include in the pantry, like can openers, spices and canned meat. The couple is grateful for all the positive feedback online, and they hope to create a domino effect of good deeds.
“We’ve gotten messages and photos of people that have started their own little free pantries, including a woman in Cleveland, a church group in Arizona started one because they said we inspired them,” she said.
Gay revealed her account has grown from several hundred to over 40,000 followers since she started posting her food bank. She’s been amazed to see how quickly kindness can spread.