Neighbourhood food pantries are popping up across America

Charitable food pantries are springing up in neighbourhoods across the US as a way of offering a helping hand to those in need.

“Yard-based” pantries have been widely shared on social media in the past six-months and ventures have popped up in Oklahoma, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and Minnesota.

Maggie Ballard mounted her own “blessings box” on her Wichita street in October after noticing a similar project on social media.

Since then, its popularity has boomed and with her son Paxton Burns, she restocks the two-foot wide unit every day with items donated by the local community.

All items are free to take, with the only stipulation being to “take a blessing when you need one" and "leave a blessing when you can.”

“I’ve always been passionate about helping people, I really shoot for giving people a hand up rather than a handout so I felt this was something small I could do, which would benefit people,” she told The Independent.

Ms Ballard rarely sees visitors to her pantry, as most come between midnight and 7am, but she knows it has become a community lifeline as the stock needs replenishing so regularly.

“It’s hard not to think people are ashamed to admit they need help as I haven't seen a lot of people taking things. Most of the traffic is at night, which is one of the things I actually like about it - it provides anonymity so you can go as often as you need it,” she said.

The box is situated on a busy road with lots of foot traffic, near several schools and is accessible 24/7, with just a door on the front with no lock.

She hopes it will teach six-year-old Paxton the importance of never taking things for granted.

“Without having a super adult conversation with a little kid, I try to teach him not to take things for granted and that a lot of people don't know where their next meal is coming from," she said. "That is something he is starting to understand,”

Paxton’s charitable effort has been the talk of the community, with Ms Ballard regularly receiving letters praising him for his giving spirit.

One particularly touching card read: “Paxton, I’m old enough to be your grandpa and all my heroes are getting old and dying. Now you are my new HERO! Thank you! (and your mom).”