It’s an unexpected problem to have.

“I underestimated the generosity,” Emmaus Public Library Adult Services Librarian Christine Wieder said in an interview in early November not far from a space where donations of canned soup, packages of instant oatmeal and macaroni and cheese and personal care items line library shelves.

The generosity of donations from the library’s community of readers and others has helped stock the Share Shelf, a pantry now available in the library, 11 E. Main St., Emmaus.

The shelf is open to everyone, no questions asked, Wieder said.

Inspired by a program offered in the Bethlehem Area Public Library South Side Branch where she worked before coming to the Emmaus library, Wieder had a plan.

“Wherever I went next I wanted to create something similar,” Wieder said.

The pantry includes shelf stable foods such as jars of peanut butter, boxes of breakfast cereal, packages of crackers, granola bars and mini muffins. Boxes of pasta share shelf space with pancake mixes, applesauce cups, cans of tuna, bags of rice and jars of pasta sauce.

There is also room for such essentials as diapers, toothbrushes and toothpastes, bottles of shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, packages of baby and body wipes, boxes of tissues and period supplies.

The Share Shelf does not offer clothing.

The pantry opened in late October. Inaugural publicity was a brief social media post, Wieder said.

Audiobooks once filled the shelves where the Share Shelf now stands, Wieder explained.

A smaller collection of audiobooks remains available to checkout.

The name for the pantry nods to the purpose and spirit of public libraries. Readers ultimately share library books and books line up on library shelves.

“I just wanted something catchy that got the point across and that one stuck,” Wieder said of the name for the pantry.

Coworkers designed and made the signage, Wieder said.

The Share Shelf is open any time the library is open. Anyone may use the pantry. Wieder keeps an eye on the shelves and restocks as needed.

No longer serving communities primarily as storehouses of knowledge, many libraries are expanding their roles as community hubs.

In the article titled “Community Building: For Modern Libraries, Bringing People Together Is Fundamental,” published in the trade publication “Library Journal” in 2023, Dennis Pierce wrote, “modern libraries are active, dynamic environments with spaces for community learning, sharing, creating and socializing.”

“It’s a matter now of determining what the community needs and how to serve the community,” Wieder said, with the aim of recognizing what the people you are serving need the most.

A Share Shelf user recently suggested hand warmers be offered as the months move toward winter.

One item in particular is on Wieder’s list for the pantry.

“I would love to get laundry detergent,” Wieder said.

Donations can be made at the library.

An Amazon wish list also is available to make donations.