When porch pirates cleaned out her Avenues neighborhood pantry, the community stepped up

Mike Argento
York Daily Record

Before the lockdown, Ashley Martin had been running a pet sitting service, Allegiant Animal Care, employing a staff of three to provide services throughout the county. 

Then, everybody was ordered to stay home, and the demand for her services dried up nearly overnight. Who needs pet sitting or dog walking services when they’re home all the time?  

She and her employees were doing OK, though. 

Ashley Martin with her re-stocked 'Share Shelf' food pantry on the porch of her home in the 500 block of Atlantic Avenue. Everything was taken recently overnight while it was under a tarp. She has since restocked with the help of donations.

But she noticed that a lot of her neighbors in York City’s Avenues neighborhood weren’t. A lot of them were laid off and waiting for unemployment benefits to come through, or simply trying to make it on the benefits, they were in dire straits, having to choose between paying the bills or the rent or mortgage and putting food on the table. And some of her neighbors, particularly those most at risk of serious illness or death should they contract the coronavirus, were unable to go out to the store. Some of them didn’t drive and couldn’t get to a food bank or a local pantry, she said. 

“Most of my neighbors have lost their jobs,” she said. “Some of them are single mothers out of work and weren’t getting paid. It was heartbreaking to see it. If I could help people, I should.” 

A sign decorated with hearts announces the 'Share Shelf' food pantry on Ashley Martin's porch.

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So, in April, Martin put up a shelf on the porch of her Atlantic Avenue home and put out some groceries to help her neighbors weather this viral storm. It started small, as she posted on Facebook, with a few boxes of food, inviting her neighbors to “please feel free to come grab what you need.” 

“I’d never done anything like that before,” she said. “I just started it because I was concerned about my neighbors.” 

The shelf soon grew into several shelves, stocked with canned goods, boxes of mac and cheese, fresh bread, personal hygiene products, pet food and anything else that her neighbors may need.  

And it worked well, on the honor system, people could just stop by, take what they need and leave the rest. 

Then, last Friday, she woke to a shock. Overnight, someone had cleaned her out, taking nearly everything. 

“It was pretty disappointing,” she said. 

Martin took to Facebook and posted, “You took ALL the soaps, all the bags of Goldfish, a large amount of canned goods, dog food, and more, that other people are missing out that could also use the help. You were just greedy and disrespectful to others in need. You felt it necessary to come under the cover of darkness, which tells me you had already planned on taking more than a fair amount.” 

“Because of you, I am not going to be able to maintain this. I didn’t think I would have to monitor this, that people would be kind and considerate. But clearly I was wrong. 

“I guess the old saying is true, that no good deed goes unpunished.” 

Her post quickly attracted dozens of comments. Some suggested getting a Ring camera or bringing the stuff inside at night to prevent it from happening again.  

But mostly, people wanted to help, offering to drop off groceries or send her money to restock her shelves.

The Tribe Motorcycle Club collected food and dropped it off.

Cape Horn Pets near Red Lion donated dog and cat food. 

Someone dropped off an entire case of flour, a commodity running short in the grocery stores.

People just left bags and boxes of food and other items on her porch. 

“It’s really been amazing how the community has come together,” Martin, 34, said. “I’m glad I can help people. There’s definitely a need. But it’s not about me. It’s the community coming together help one another because we’re all in this together.” 

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at 717-771-2046 or at mike@ydr.com.