The Nokomis Food Pantry will continue to serve the community and feed the hungry, but from a new building. They have moved from their location on State St. to a new spot within the Christian Missions on Spruce St.
Serving Fillmore, Nokomis, Ohlman and Witt, the pantry volunteers wanted to be under the same roof as the other area services, the Community Closet and the Fuel Fund. All three efforts now have a home under the same roof at 118 S. Spruce St. in Nokomis.
This allows for them to more easily serve members of the community, especially those without a car, by providing access to all services at once and every day.
Despite the 105 degree heat on the day that they moved, the pantry is more than happy to be at their new location.
According to current coordinator Doris O'Malley, the Nokomis Food pantry got its start "in closets, back rooms and corners" years ago as the community began to band together to help those in need. They moved into their State St. building when Consolidated Communications no longer needed an office in town.
"We never had to pay for the spot," O'Malley explained. "They were very kind to us."
O'Malley got her start with the food pantry in 2002. Marilyn Peterson, the previous coordinator, had asked O'Malley for her help shortly after she had retired from Kroger.
"I was used to food and food safety," she said. "It just made sense."
By Christmas of that year, O'Malley had taken over as coordinator. She has help from a number of groups around town as well as several committed volunteers. They, however, are always looking for and accepting new volunteers.
Most of the food at the pantry comes from one of three sources: Central IL Foodbank, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Midwest Food Bank out of Normal. Some of the food is delivered, but the food from Normal has to be picked up. Paul Schwarm, an elderly member of the community, makes the drive each month for the pantry.
On top of that, Nokomis Kroger donates on average about 300 lbs. of meat each month to the pantry. When meat nears its expiration, the price is marked down. If it doesn't sell at the reduced price, Kroger freezes it and donates it to the food pantry. As of July 14, the pantry had already received 200 lbs. just during the month of July.
Throughout the year, the pantry also receives donations from a number of different groups and events. St. Louis Catholic Church has a bin out year round to collect donations, Nokomis High School Student Council hosts a scavenger hunt each year to collect donations from people in the community, several businesses in town will donate money, the elementary school kids celebrate the 100th day of school with donations, several of the school sports teams will charge an admission of canned food instead of money for their games, but O'Malley said it was really the kids that did the most good for the pantry.
"Nobody can say no to kids," she said, smiling jovially.
This year, the pantry also received a $2,000 grant from the Diocese of Springfield as part of their annual Lenten Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl Collection. This money will greatly help the pantry purchase their most expensive food item: meat.
On the fourth Wednesday of each month, the pantry receives the bulk of their food as well as distributes it.
Usually by around 10 a.m. the trucks with the food have arrived. Students from Mid-State Cornerstone Academy in Nokomis earn the privilege of helping unload the food with good behavior and good grades. By noon, everything is set up to start giving out food.
The community members they serve bring a box and participate in what O'Malley calls Choice. As they go through the line, they fill their box with items they know their family will eat and enjoy.
A family in need should visit the food pantry at noon on the fourth Wednesday of any month with a box. If in need at any other point in the month, they should visit the Community Closet at the same location or call one of three numbers, O'Malley at 217-827-2814, Sean Furlow at 217-313-5674 or the Closet at 217-563-7580.
O'Malley has done her best to eliminate the embarrassment some feel about coming to the pantry. She has spoken to kids of all ages in town, to explain to them what the pantry does, how it works and why it's such a valuable asset. In their terms and on their level, she explains why someone might come to the pantry and why its okay that they do.
"Everybody's got a story," she says. When people criticize someone coming to the pantry, for example, with a nice car, she explains that, "They just don't know the stories."
After 16 years as coordinator, O'Malley has countless stories to tell, but one in particular, she said, gives her goosebumps. Mike Guidish, a principal of several schools in the area for many years, often used to help out on distribution days. One day several years ago, there was an elderly gentleman in line with his Choice box, but he had trouble walking. Guidish offered him a chair and to help him, and went around the table with the man's box, collecting the items he wanted for him.
At the time, the pantry had a small selection of cake mixes, and Guidish asked the man if he wanted one. He misunderstood, and asked in disbelief if the pantry had cakes, saying that he hadn't had cake in years. After Guidish clarified that no, they were just cake mixes and had to be baked, his face fell. The man couldn't bake.
After the man left and the pantry had finished handing out food for the month, Guidish was still thinking about him. He resolved to go home and bake the man a cake himself -- and he did just that.
When he came back days later to tell O'Malley how he brought the man the cake, she distinctly remembers him saying, "I don't know who cried more - me or him."
