Wooster vacant lots are being turned into community spaces, gardens, and food pantries

WOOSTER, Ohio — The rules at the small wooden pantry on Buckeye Street in Wooster are simple: take what you need and give when you can.

Residents say the sharing goes both ways.

“You’ll see people stop by to drop stuff off but they’ll also leave with a couple of things,” said Peggy Kelley, a Wooster resident.

The pantry is part of a larger transformation led by David Griffith, who saw potential in a condemned property that was eventually removed.

“There was a house here. It was condemned and eventually it was torn down,” Griffith said.

That happened over 20 years ago.

He now has several lots— and he wants more.

“There are more vacant lots and when I drive by I think, 'I could do something with that one,'” Griffin said.

Once a spot frequented by drug dealers, the park has become a s