Mini pantry on McCreedy Drive offers help as costs rise, SNAP rules change

WASHINGTON — On McCreedy Drive in Washington, a small wooden pantry painted with a big promise has become a daily stop for neighbors looking for groceries, hygiene items or just a reminder that someone in town sees them.

The McCreedy Drive Mini Pantry, a free, neighbor-run pantry open to the public at 120 McCreedy Drive, officially opened in November 2025. It operates around the clock with a simple message: Take what you need, leave what you can.

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“We are just out here building community. Please come down to the McCreedy Drive Mini Pantry. Located in Washington Iowa, at 120 McCreedy Dr. Take what you need and leave what you can,” said Ginny Weatherwax-Timmerman, who helps maintain the pantry.

Weatherwax-Timmerman purchased her home in Washington just under two years ago and said the response to the mini pantry has made her feel more connected with the people around her.

“Washington is a pretty awesome town to live in,” she said. “I’m really, really glad that this is where we chose to buy a house.”

The pantry’s mission has taken on extra urgency as families juggle higher grocery bills and new rules around food assistance.

Food prices in the Midwest rose 2.6% over the 12 months ending in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a stretch that kept pressure on household budgets even as inflation cooled from earlier peaks.

“In times like this, we have to help each other,” Weatherwax-Timmerman said.

Starting Jan. 1, Iowa SNAP recipients can no longer use benefits to purchase food and beverages considered taxable under Iowa law, including candy, soft drinks and other sweetened drinks, according to a retailer notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

Iowa Health and Human Services said the change aims to promote healthier food choices by linking eligible purchases to Iowa’s non-taxable food list, which includes staples such as fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry and fish.

Weatherwax-Timmerman said the pantry can help fill the gaps, including items SNAP never covered in the first place, like soap and shampoo.

“As they change what you can buy with snap, remember at the McCreedy Dr. Pantry, we are offer you the things you can’t [buy with SNAP], because food is food, and hygiene products are just as important,” she said in December.

Weatherwax-Timmerman keeps the community updated on her personal Facebook page and the newly created “The McCreedy Drive Mini Pantry” page with photos and videos showing what is stocked and what the pantry needs most.

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“Hey, Washington, we went ahead and restocked the mini pantry on McCreedy drive. So come on down and get something to eat. Get a snack,” she said in one update, thanking a friend named Deb for a donation that she said would help keep the pantry stocked “for quite a bit of time.”

Another day, she emphasized that some of the most requested donations aren’t food at all.

“We were able to get some awesome hygiene products. I think those are so important. Things are so expensive nowadays,” she said, urging people to share with friends who may need help.

Weatherwax-Timmerman also offered to bring items to people who can’t get to the pantry or to pick up donations.

Community members have responded with bags of groceries, pantry staples, coffee and tea, she said. Laura Beckman donated, too, and praised Weatherwax-Timmerman’s commitment.

“[Ginny] is amazing. [She] is doing such a great thing for her community,” Beckman said after her donation.

The words that hang on the pantry door echo the project’s spirit:

“Within this small wooden frame lives a simple promise: no one walks alone. If you need something, take it with peace. If you have a little extra, let your kindness ripple through the neighborhood.”

“If you would like to make a donation feel free to put it in the pantry or on the porch,” Weatherwax-Timmerman said. Monetary donations can also be made through her PayPal at @Ginny-Timmerman.

Weatherwax-Timmerman said she hopes more neighborhoods build similar pantries — small boxes with big reach.

“Jeremy Timmerman and I would like to thank all of you who have donated to the pantry and to all of the people wanting to donate cash,” Weatherwax-Timmerman said. “Our plan is to keep it going for as long as people need. Again thank you so much.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com