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Volunteer from D300 food pantry urges residents to donate coats, volunteers as demand rises
Summary
At the Oct. 6 Pingree Grove Board meeting, Terry Knapp, representing the D300 Food Pantry, described growing demand, storage constraints and volunteer shortages and asked residents to donate food, coats and time.
Terry Knapp, who said he lives at 1771 Francis Drive and represents the D300 Food Pantry, told the Village of Pingree Grove board on Oct. 6 that the pantry is seeing a sharp increase in demand and faces storage and volunteer shortfalls.
Knapp said the pantry, which he described as “100% donation driven and volunteer run,” serves households with a child in the D300 school district or employees of D300. He said weekly shopper counts have grown from about 80 six years ago to roughly 200 now, and the pantry has expanded from one to two shopping nights per week.
The pantry receives food from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and participates in a Direct Connect program that collects donations from Aldi, Jewel and Sam’s Club, Knapp said. He also cited bakery donations from Bimbo Bread and seasonal produce from Smart Farm Organic Farm. Knapp said the pantry’s biggest operational challenges are inconsistent availability of basic items from suppliers, limited on-site storage, and a shortage of volunteers to staff packing, stocking and shopping-night shifts.
Knapp described efforts to tap neighborhood support in Pingree Grove, Carpentersville and Cambridge Lakes, including online appeals and drive-up donations, and said the pantry uses an off-site outreach center at 21 North Washington Street in Carpentersville to store overflow items. He said the pantry provided backpacks and supplies to almost 400 children at a recent back-to-school event and gave away about 600 coats last year. He asked residents to donate washable coats and other items and said collection bins are at the police department.
Knapp said the pantry also distributes diapers and hygiene items under a contract with Keeping Families Covered and that every dollar in donations leverages about $8 in food purchasing power through the Northern Illinois Food Bank. He offered emergency food deliveries for households in need and said one of the pantry’s shopping nights is by appointment while the other accepts walk-ups.
The board did not take formal action during public comment. The pantry’s appeal included requests for donations of coats and volunteers and notices of upcoming community events where the pantry will be present, including a Harvest Fest and a trunk-or-treat.
