Naomi Saenger, from Eugene, OR, shared her passion for feeding people with YMCAs across the state.

After volunteering with other food programs, Saenger was shocked by the overwhelming need for food.

"My passion for food accessibility turned into action against food insecurity." — Naomi Saenger

In January 2020, the YMCA of Klamath Falls was notified by the Eugene Family YMCA — Naomi's local YMCA — regarding her desire to place a pantry at every Y in the state.

A Yes from Klamath Falls

Kelly Alvarez-Hernandez, Membership Director at the YMCA of Klamath Falls, said yes immediately.

"We fell in love with the idea of helping our community during such an unstable time. With Naomi's vision to feed the hungry, we can provide much-needed food assistance to our community." — Kelly Alvarez-Hernandez

The timing was significant — January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed food-insecurity needs across the basin. The Y's Little Free Pantry was operational and ready exactly when families needed it most.

What Little Free Pantry Is

Little Free Pantries are a simple, powerful idea: a publicly accessible food cabinet — typically mounted outside a public building — where:

  • Anyone who has food to give can drop it off
  • Anyone who needs food can take what they need
  • No questions, no paperwork, no eligibility check, no stigma

The Eugene-Klamath Y partnership extended that simple idea into the YMCA's existing infrastructure — using the Y's foot traffic, hours, and community trust to make the pantry as accessible as possible.

Why the No-Questions Model Matters

Traditional food banks do critical work — but they require navigating eligibility systems, intake forms, scheduled hours, and the emotional weight of asking for help in front of strangers.

Little Free Pantries serve a different need: the immediate, anonymous, no-friction moment when a family is short between paychecks, a senior on a fixed income can't quite make it to the end of the month, or a household is dealing with an unexpected expense that displaced grocery money.

For people in those moments, the Little Free Pantry is the difference between a manageable bad week and a desperate one.

Today's Pantry

Today, the Little Free Pantry at the YMCA of Klamath Falls still offers:

  • Zero-eligibility access — anyone can take, anyone can give
  • Non-perishable food items — canned goods, pasta, rice, peanut butter, cereal, shelf-stable basics
  • Hygiene products — when donated, since food insecurity often comes with hygiene-product insecurity
  • 24/7 accessibility — the pantry doesn't keep business hours

How to Help

If you'd like to donate to the Klamath Falls YMCA's Little Free Pantry:

What to give

  • Canned protein — tuna, chicken, beans, chili
  • Peanut butter — high-protein, shelf-stable, kids love it
  • Pasta and rice — staples that stretch
  • Canned vegetables and fruit — low-sodium when possible
  • Cereal and oatmeal
  • Granola bars — portable, no-prep nutrition
  • Personal-hygiene items — toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, menstrual products, diapers

What to avoid

  • Expired items
  • Glass containers (breakage risk)
  • Items requiring refrigeration or freezing
  • Anything that requires extensive preparation or specialized cooking equipment

A Quiet Form of Community

Naomi Saenger's vision — a Little Free Pantry at every Y in Oregon — is the kind of slow, steady community-building that doesn't make headlines but quietly feeds people every day.

The Klamath Falls YMCA is proud to be part of that vision. The next time you're at the Y, take a look at the pantry — give what you can, or share the resource with someone you know who could use it.

The YMCA of Klamath Falls · 1221 S Alameda Ave · (541) 884-4149 · kfallsymca.org

Thank you, Naomi. Thank you, Kelly. And thank you to every Klamath Basin neighbor who keeps that pantry stocked.