CLINTON — As a result of last weekend’s Pack the Pantry poker run in Camanche, Pastor Steven Miller said, two pickup trucks and a van full of food were brought to Camanche’s First Baptist Church to help those in need.
And it’s a need noted throughout the Gateway area: In its most recent Map the Meal Gap from 2015, Feeding America, a hunger relief/nationwide food bank network, reported 6,320 people in Clinton County are living with food insecurities.
“It’s not just a single mom with a couple kids,” said Michelle Ehlinger, director at Concerned DeWitt Citizens Information and Referral Services. “It’s the mom and dad both working, and just one paycheck away from disaster… People are really struggling.”
Food insecurity — defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s measure of access to and availability of enough food for a healthy life — is battled all year long. During November and December, more people seem to seek out local food pantries — whether to provide or receive assistance.
“We do have people that come in that need more than we can provide… but we have all the contacts that we need,” said Betty Wiebenga of the Fulton Food Pantry, which serves 450 people a month. “So if they come in it’s pretty easy for them to find what they need.”
The Camanche, DeWitt and Clinton pantries also say the number of clients each year rises. This year, Information Referral and Assistance Services in Clinton, reported 6,519 individuals served through that agency’s hunger network, which is up from 6,271 a year earlier. DeWitt’s Information and Referral Services, out of its families served, is up to 155 holiday boxes to be given out this year.
“It gets worse everyday,” according to Ehlinger, talking about the need for food services. “It’s a sad state of affairs.”
“We get a lot of donation and a lot of food in November and December but it’s year round, people are in need of food year round,” Ehlinger said. She mentioned her “cupboards were completely bare,” before the last round of organized donations. St. Joseph’s had recently engaged the kids in a donation scavenger hunt.
At the Camanche Food Pantry, more people will receive assistance in November than any other time throughout the year. Roxann Stearns, director of the pantry, said the holiday boxes (featuring a turkey) may be be a leading cause.
Stearns sees about 57 families a month, and has seen a major increase in service in the past five years; the Associate Benevolent Society is already prepared for 411 holiday boxes.
Local organizations and resident donations are appreciated, and needed.
“November and December are the biggest donations months that I will see,” Stearns said. “During the holidays people stop and think of the less fortunate and I’ll have a lot of donations and it’ll keep me going til about march, which is wonderful.”
Monetary and food donations are accepted at area food pantries. To obtain assistance, a local address usually is needed.
n Pantries United Clinton operates Monday through Friday. The telephone number to call for more information regarding documentation, visits permitted and donations is 243-5818. The Associate Benevolent Society and the Salvation Army are connected through Clinton’s Information Referral and Assistance Services.
n Victory Center Rescue Mission, 100 Sixth Ave. North in Clinton, is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information, call 242-9016.
n Concerned DeWitt Citizens Information and Referral Services, 615 Eighth St. in DeWitt. Proof of local residence for assistance is required. For more information call (563) 659-9612.
n Fulton Food Pantry, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Illinois, serves the Fulton and Thomson, Illinois, communities and is open Thursdays or by appointment. (815) 589-3671.
n The Camanche Food Pantry, located within the First Baptist Church at 1000 Third St., is open Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and Thursday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
