People will find it, even if you do nothing, but there are a few things you can do to help raise awareness.
Locate your mini pantry where people will notice it, then ask friends to co-steward. Speaking of friends…
Hundreds of stewards use social media accounts dedicated to their particular mini pantry/ies to communicate about them—current status/needs, requests, thank you notes. We do, too! Before launch, we created the LFP Pilot Facebook page. On launch day, we shared the page and asked our “friends” if they’d like and share it, as well. Coordinating LFP Pilot launch and its Facebook page launch generated excitement and givers! Prioritize the platform/s you already use. No need to figure out TikTok! But if you “live” on TikTok, use it!
Don’t do social media? You can send a press release to your local newspaper or post flyers like this one around your neighborhood.
Finally, add your mini pantry to the map! Be sure to include city, state, and zip code, as these are the terms most folks use when searching.