Chattahoochee Police Officer Trenton Jeter adds a can of green beans to the Chattahoochee “Help Shelf” – a curious new fixture gracing the downtown streetscape at 318 W. Washington Street, in front of Around the Corner Flowers. The wooden “cabinet on a stick” in stocked with canned veggies, dry goods, mac and cheese, even toiletries and other nonperishable household staples. So just who – in his or her inexplicable wisdom – decided to install their pantry outdoors on a public sidewalk? To whom does this oddity and its contents belong? If unfamiliar with the project, you might be surprised to learn the answer – the Chattahoochee “Help Shelf” belongs to you. Not just you, but your neighbor, your favorite local shopkeeper, schoolchildren passing by on the sidewalk, senior citizens out for a leisurely Sunday drive downtown… Simply put, the Help Shelf is for everyone, and its presence means the kind old grandmother figure in your neighborhood unsure of where her next meal will come needn’t worry. The single mother on your block faced with the choice of feeding her baby or feeding herself needn’t go hungry for the sake of her child. Even the hard-working young 20-something strapped for cash this month due to an unexpected bill can rest soundly with a full belly. Anyone in need can take what they need from the help shelf – anonymously and any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And for those blessed with plenty, swinging by the Help Shelf makes a great detour while on the way home from weekly grocery shopping. Add a can of chili, a box of rice, anything nonperishable that might help your fellow Chattahoochee-ite. It’s the “take a penny, leave a penny” concept at its height! Read all about it here.
