KAUKAUNA, Wis. (WFRV) - The Kaukauna Public Library's shelves are for both those who enjoy literature and those who need food. In 2017, it created the Little Free Pantry in a quiet corner of the library, where community members could grab food items. “We’d been reading a lot about basic needs and seen more requests for basic needs from our facility. So we started this little free pantry, and it’s kind of grown," library director Ashley Thiem-Menning said. "This has continued to expand. Obviously, we’ve seen prices increase, and that puts a burden on families.” Hmong Festival returns to Brown County Fairgrounds with tribute to Hmong Heroes of the Vietnam War As hard times rolled around for many in the town of 17,000, demand for the pantry spiked, particularly in just the last few months. “The majority of this shelf will be gone by the end of this evening,” Thiem-Menning said. “We just happen to be open a lot of hours, and so some of the larger food pantries are not necessarily close to Kaukauna, and transportation can be a barrier, so we are seeing a heavy use of our little free pantry here.” The library is open six days per week, Monday through Saturday. It is also open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, giving families much larger time windows than other area pantries that have limited staffing and volunteer resources. Both children and adults in the community struggle with food insecurity. Thiem-Menning wants to eliminate any stigma that prevents them from getting the food they need. “Kids use the library as a safe space where they are during the day, the same as adults, so we recognized that need and just came up with the idea of having the little free pantry," Thiem-Menning said. “It’s very private; people take what they need, there’s no paperwork to be filled out, so maybe if there’s that stigma that you’re feeling if you can’t put enough food on your table for your family, there are no questions asked here.” The pantry also includes hygiene products, toiletries, diapers, baby food, and other items that might not fit into the "food pantry" category but are in demand and another cost taken off struggling families' shoulders. Courageous K9 from Green Bay makes top five for Military Dog Competition While the pantry is housed in the library and organized by the staff, it is the community donors who keep it full. “This is also totally donation-based, so we rely entirely on the community and the goodwill of others so that we can stock the shelves. We like to focus on having those canned meats, pasta, and rice," Thiem-Menning said. “It really is a community effort, we will have a lot of people that will say, ‘hey I hope it’s ok, but I brought and put some silverware over in the pantry.’ And maybe it’s not something you thought was necessary, but it’s always gone, which means someone’s using it.”