A pantry is a small room or large closet near the kitchen where families store food that doesn't need refrigeration. Walk into a pantry and you might find shelves stocked with canned goods, boxes of cereal, bags of rice and pasta, jars of peanut butter, and baking supplies like flour and sugar. Some pantries also hold dishes, serving platters, or small kitchen appliances that aren't used every day.

In earlier centuries, large houses often had separate pantries for different purposes: one for bread, another for butter and cheese, and another for dishes and silverware.

Today, having a well-stocked pantry means you can cook meals without running to the store constantly. When a storm approaches, families often check their pantries to make sure they have enough supplies. A food pantry is a charitable organization that provides groceries to people who need help feeding their families, named because it serves the same essential purpose: making sure people have food available when they need it.