By midmorning, Caty Fremouw, 8, was brushing lavender paint across a pantry panel while her older brother worked beside her.
Around them, kids drilled, painted, and hauled supplies across the courtyard at Salem Lutheran Church. The plan was to finish the build, then enjoy refreshments and munchkins.
On Saturday, May 24, the courtyard of Salem Lutheran Church at 18324 Ashland Ave. in Homewood transformed into a makeshift workshop.
Volunteers, church members, and children came together to build the church’s first Little Free Pantry. The project was led by Korey Ziemkowski, founder of The Girl in Lansing micro pantry project.
Korey Ziemkowski and Lorie Zoellick walk Jacob Davis through pantry assembly during Saturday’s build at Salem Lutheran Church in Homewood. (Nuha Abdessalam/H-F Chronicle)
“This is number 13,” Ziemkowski said. “And we’ve already got the wood cut for numbers 14 and 15.”
What began as her Girl Scout Gold Award project at age 16 has since grown into a community-wide effort to fight food insecurity. The first pantry?
“I reached out,” she said. “But now, they reach out to me. It’s kind of just God’s plan. If someone asks, I’ll build it.”
Before the painting began, kids and adults gathered for a short prayer. It ended with a quiet ask: “Bless the work of our hands.”
Lorie Zoellick, Salem Lutheran’s community outreach coordinator, reminded the children what their work meant.
“This is your project,” she told them. “How cool is that? You get to see it from beginning to end.”
She encouraged the kids to keep the pantry in mind even after the paint dried.
“Say a prayer when you walk or drive by,” she said. “‘Jesus, please bless those folks that need our help.’”
The pantry at Salem is one of three being built this week. The others will be placed in Monee, Illinois. For Ziemkowski, now a student at Olivet Nazarene University, the project is as much about the process as the result.
“At first, I didn’t even know the difference between screwdrivers,” she said. “Just getting kids involved shows how we can all learn and help.”
Eight-year-old Matthew Fremouw, Caty’s brother, summed up his feelings with quiet pride.
“Honestly, just helping to build these things and people will like them and hopefully add things and take things.”
Gemma Davis, 9, said she was happy to be outside and helping others. Her brother, 11-year-old Michael Davis, hopes to bring more friends into the fold. “Maybe they’ll want to help too,” he said.
Aubree Kvasniska, 14, traveled from Chicago Heights to be part of the day. “I like being outdoors and helping,” she said. “I hope people feel that this is something welcoming.”
The pantries are stocked not just with food, but with anything people might need: books, toys, clothes, even hearing aids and picture frames. “You never know what you’ll find. But someone always needs it,” Ziemkowski said.
She recalled one moment that stuck with her: a young mother in nurse scrubs leaving her car running, kids inside, as she ran 50 feet to grab items from a pantry. “That was when I knew. This is why I want to do it,” she said. “I was 17 then.”
Salem Lutheran decided to host the pantry after noticing increased need and recent closures of local food banks. “We wanted a well-lit spot, some anonymity,” Zoellick said. “Not a place with cameras that might make someone feel watched. We hope this fills the space left by food pantries that have recently closed.”
Donations are welcome from anyone in the community. “Just drop off non-perishables,” Zoellick said. “And if the pantry’s full, we’ll have extra bins inside the church.”
Carole Fremouw, the church’s Vacation Bible School director and mom to Caty and Matthew, watched the next pantry unfold with pride.
“I love when kids do things that surprise adults,” she said. “They could be on devices. Instead, they’re out here, doing something they’ll be proud of now and 20 years from now.”
After years of pandemic-related pauses, the pantry build marked a return to youth-focused activities at Salem.
“We’ve had VBS and trunk-or-treats,” Fremouw said. “But this is the first coordinated youth activity in five years. We’re hoping it’s the starting point to bring our youth group back together.”
For Ziemkowski, the momentum is already growing. “When I built this, I had extra wood,” she said. “So now there’s enough cut for two more pantries. I think that’s a good problem to have.”
