Fort Worth couple sets up free pantry in their front yard as COVID-19 ravages economy
Mike and Alexis Piet have lived their lives focused on serving others.
Alexis is a Marine reservist and Mike has a background as a military contractor, and both have had multiple deployments overseas. When the cononavirus pandemic found its way to North Texas, the Fort Worth couple wanted to find some way to help their community.
Inspired by the Little Free Library project, Mike and Alexis made a Little Free Pantry. The pantry, set up on the corner of Eldridge Street and Bonnell Avenue in the Sunset Heights neighborhood, sees at least four to five visitors a day.
They said they don’t feel like it’s a big deal, but neighbor and friend Harrison Gibson says it makes the couple Hometown Heroes.
“They’ve brought the community together around this pantry,” Gibson said. “We’re definitely tighter knit for it now. It’s just been a community outpouring.”
Gibson nominated the couple for recognition in the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Heroes series, which highlights everyday people doing extraordinary things to support their community during the pandemic. Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each week over 28 weeks to those selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the series.
Alexis said the pantry was created when they asked a neighbor if they could take old cabinets being thrown out during a renovation. She said she doesn’t pay too much attention to who comes and goes because she doesn’t want people to be afraid to take what they need.
Mike said the impact has gone beyond what he and Alexis had ever hoped for. They started the pantry with about $25 in dried and canned foods, and it now has toiletries, baby supplies and homemade masks crafted by a neighbor.
A lifetime of service
Mike and Alexis have had a passion for helping others for a lifetime.
Mike was an EMT and first responder at the Pentagon on 9/11. He said he was on the shortlist of first responders ready to go to New York for rescue operations, but he was never called.
Ever since, Mike has known that if there was ever a chance to go to New York to help others he would do it. He got the opportunity with Team Rubicon, a nonprofit made up of veterans and first responders who deploy to assist during humanitarian disasters.
Mike volunteered in March and until May was working in the emergency room of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens.
Alexis joined the military in 1998 wanting serve in humanitarian relief efforts. When terrorists attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, she said she knew her plans would have to change. She deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.
That hasn’t stopped her from engaging in charity work, though.
Mike has only been in Fort Worth for about a year and Alexis joined him last September. The couple has already found volunteer work with dog adoptions, at an urban farm (Opal Farms) and Taste Community Restaurant in Fort Worth.
Running a mini food bank during COVID-19
Alexis kept up the Free Little Pantry while Mike was in New York. Donations are sanitized and quarantined for three days before going into the pantry.
She also works to help meet special needs through the little pantry — anything from baby formula and diapers to special foods and cleaning products.
For many people, Alexis said, the pantry is their main source of food during the pandemic.
“People may be afraid to go to the store or may have lost their jobs and can’t afford food and we thought we were in a good area to provide a meeting place for people to take and give food,” Alexis said.
Their dedication has resulted in recognition from the city and United Way Tarrant County, which put the Little Free Pantry on their websites.
Mike and Alexis accept donations and leave special items on their doorstep. They even post hard copies of updates and advice about COVID-19 from authorities on the pantry.
Anybody who wants to start a Little Free Pantry can find special resources on the project’s website, LittleFreePantry.com.
Alexis said when the need for the pantry decreases, the couple may turn it into a Little Free Library. She’s been a big fan of those for a while now, she said.
To nominate a hometown hero
To nominate someone to be featured in the Hometown Heroes series, go to star-telegram.com/nominate.
This story was originally published June 28, 2020 at 5:45 AM.