ST. ELMO – Feeding those in need has always been a priority for community members in the city of St. Elmo.
“We want to help feed the people in St. Elmo,” Rita Wood said. “We try to meet the needs of people in the community and we provide resources if they need more food than what we can give them.”
Rita Wood has been with St. Elmo Food Pantry since its inception in 1995. The pantry was established by Karen Mullen, who is now deceased, and Fern Moore.
Wood worked nights at the pantry while teaching at Altamont Grade School and became more involved with the organization after she retired in 2008.
In 2012, Wood became director of the pantry after Fern Moore retired from the organization. Her husband, Bill, serves as assistant director.
The pantry serves anyone residing in St. Elmo School District. A total of seven volunteers help with the pantry and food is distributed every Monday.
Wood estimates 35-40 families per week are benefiting from the pantry and three families, who are homebound, have food delivered to them once a month.
The pantry gets a delivery once a month from the Central Illinois Foodbank in Springfield. Rita Wood is given a choice of food items available from the food bank through email and picks out what is needed for the St. Elmo pantry.
After the food truck delivery is made, the Woods go shopping for other things they might need to keep the selves stocked.
Wood said the pantry couldn’t exist without help from the community.
“The community of St. Elmo is wonderful for their support,” she said.
The pantry solely relies on donations, and if the pantry is running short of funds, community members are more than willing to donate money, said Rita Wood. Several organizations, including the St. Elmo Ministerial Alliance, she added, donate money or hold food drives to help support the pantry.
When the monthly food delivery is made, several members of the St. Elmo Lions Club under the leadership of Club President Dave Maxey volunteer to unload the truck and stock the shelves.
“We have been assisting the food pantry for several years,” Maxey said. “We are here to help the managers of the food pantry.”
The truck comes the day after the first Lions Club meeting of the month and several volunteers rotate to help unload the truck.
“We had the opportunity to make this a club project and we are always looking for things to do to help the public,” Maxey said. “We assure them they will always have enough help here.”
The pantry is open Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Avena Township building located on North Main Street in downtown St. Elmo.
For more information about the St. Elmo Food Pantry, call 618-829-3273.
