Midtown Tucsonan turns TikTok fame into front-yard food pantry

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — What started as a cooking channel on TikTok has turned into a lifeline for many in midtown Tucson.

Izzy Collins, a local content creator, launched “Izzy’s Kitchen” just one month ago. It began with a simple idea: use their growing TikTok audience to support their community. Instead of accepting gifts like toasters and frying pans, Collins asked their followers to send pantry items.

“I wanted to channel that energy somewhere else,” they said.

They first set up a shelf of food at the end of their driveway, but after repeated vandalism, they moved it closer to their front door. Since then, donations have poured in from around the world, from Maine to Australia, helping stock the pantry twice a day.

“Everything in here is completely sent by the people that follow me or the people in the community,” Collins said.

Now, with over 120,000 followers, Collins hopes to expand and bring similar pantries to other Tucson neighborhoods.

Those interested in helping can drop off donations directly to Izzy’s Kitchen at 4721 E 1st Street.