Little Free Library Adds Food With SNAP in Limbo

Thanks to Mississippi Valley Montessori School for their support. Located in West St. Paul since 1967, they’re an AMI-accredited Montessori school serving children up to age 6. Email us for more info.

With the ongoing federal government shutdown and SNAP benefits in limbo, a local West St. Paul resident responded by adding food to their Little Free Library.

“I work at Fridley High School and have heard the concerns from my students about the government shutdown and the suspension of SNAP benefits,” said Ann Matthews-Baussan. “We thought why not help out the people in our community by offering food options.”

Where: Their Little Free Library, located at 1196 Charlton in West St. Paul, is now stocked with books and food freely available to those who need it.

SNAP benefits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as food stamps, were set to end in November due to the shutdown, but a court ruling forced the Trump administration to continue the program with emergency funds. Now it sounds like partial benefits will be released in November, but plenty of uncertainty and concern for those who rely on that assistance.

Books Inside and Out

First opened in September, the Little Free Library features the spines of books all the way around the outside.

• Why: “I am a school librarian, and my number one goal is to get people reading!” Matthews-Baussan said. “So why not put a library in my front yard that supports that goal.”
• Group effort: Matthews-Baussan’s husband Andrew bought the library for her birthday last year. The wood for the book spines came from her school’s shop teacher. Andrew and Ann’s 16-year-old Ayla painted all the book spines.
• Featured books: “I chose some of our family’s favorite books,” Matthews-Baussan said. “We have a side of all children and YA books, a side of classics, and a side with modern titles we have enjoyed over the past few years.”
• Love of books: “The charter sign on the library also has a quote from my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, which states ‘Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing,'” Matthews-Baussan said.
• Community: The Little Free Library joins a thriving community of Little Free Libraries in West St. Paul. It’s also not the first Little Free Library to double as a food pantry.

Watch the video for a look at those book spines:

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