Man goes viral on TikTok for starting food pantry outside home
By Chilekasi Adele
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WHITEHALL, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man from Whitehall is going viral on TikTok for starting a food pantry outside his home.
Some of his videos have been getting thousands of views as he looks to help people struggling, and an anonymous person is aiding him in that quest.
“We didn’t have a plan,” AJ Owen, of Whitehall, said. “We spent roughly $150 at Aldi and stocked up on things in that first day.”
Owen and his kids set up a food pantry on their front lawn nine days ago. Not long after that?
“I would say 70% of that food was gone,” Owen said.
It’s a pattern that is continuing. Owen showed KDKA bins on Tuesday morning that were full on Monday night, until people in need took what they needed to.
It shows the need for food with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the month still not in their possession, but Owen says the demand came long before that.
“When we started this, benefits had not been cut off and people were already in need,” he said. “That says everything you need to know.”
Owen says his pantry has exploded with support.
“People have donated totes, people have donated food, people have donated money,” he said.
People like Jenna Mocello and her daughter saw what Owen was doing.
“We gave teething snacks, yogurt bites, pouches, cereal,” Mocello, of Pleasant Hills, said.
One contribution has stood out, though. It was a cash donation dropped in Owen’s mailbox over the weekend.
“I flipped open my mailbox to see a card envelope taped shut,” he said. “I opened it, and there was just thousands of dollars in cash.”
There was a message inside as well.
“It just said, ‘May God prosper and bless your food bank,'” Owen said.
It elicited a lot of emotions for Owen. He had a hard time believing and realizing what he had received. It also spurred more trips to the store. Owen says he and his kids went to Costco and stocked up on diapers for the pantry. They also bought formula, protein drinks, vegetables, noodles, pasta sauce and more.
It’s inspired people like Mocello to teach her kids the value of giving. She had her young daughter pick out some of what they donated on Tuesday.
“By him doing this, I’m able to show mine how to do that as well,” she said.
As for the Owens? They do not plan on stopping any time soon. AJ said they still have a lot of money left and that they’re going to continue using it for good.
“People deserve food, people deserve to be fed,” Owen said. “As long as there’s a need in our community, we will keep this out.”
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