Lake Forester, August 12, 2010

A line of 20,000 at Shields food pantry

BY ADRIENNE FAWCETT

Last week the Shields Township food pantry reached a milestone: it helped its 20,000th customer.

Township Supervisor Gale Strenger Wayne said the milestone is bittersweet. “Bitter because there continue to be so many of our neighbors who find themselves hungry and in need of assistance, but sweet because the Food Pantry is the fortunate recipient of generous and kind acts by many donors and volunteers.”

The food pantry was a divisive issue in the township election, when there were heated discussions about the pantry’s mission, location and even its existence. GazeboNews asked Ms. Strenger Wayne for an update:

GazeboNews: Have the township board’s issues and disagreements about the food pantry been resolved?

Ms. Strenger Wayne: In December 2009, the Board voted to implement a residency requirement whereby only residents of Shields Township are eligible. Since that has occurred, I haven’t heard any further concerns from the Board.

GN: How is the pantry funded?

GSW: The food pantry is funded through passport service fees ($25 / passport) as well as financial contributions to our 501 (c) 3, Shields Township Phoenix Rising Foundation. Additionally, we receive an abundance of community support via food drives by organizations, churches, corporations, and family/individual foodstuff donations.

At each monthly meeting, I provide an update on the food pantry activity (most recently that the Chicago Bears worked with our office to obtain passports in anticipation of an upcoming game in Canada — which generated more than $1,000 in fees and donations!). Cash provides important purchasing power as we order from the Northern Illinois Food Bank … for example every $1 of cash buys nearly 9 pounds of food … tremendous leverage even when compared to shopping at high-volume food stores like Aldi.

GN: Who is using the food pantry?

GSW: What we’re seeing is that the food pantry is a valuable resource to all our communities — donors have a hands-on opportunity to make a difference in helping their neighbor. It’s a “destination donation” in that the community counts on this local food pantry to be part of their annual giving. And, the pantry is staffed by committed volunteers. On the other side, the recipient-guests benefit from this outpouring of caring and generosity.

GN: Has usage changed since you switched to serving township residents only?

GSW: The impact of the economic downturn is hitting all areas of the township. I’m unable to quantify the increase traffic due to the fact that year-over-year figures don’t correlate — last year at this time we didn’t have a residency requirement. But we know we are seeing new faces, many from the southern parts of the township. We are committed to providing friendly and confidential service to all our recipient-guests and hope that helps ease the embarrassment many first timers have.

Started in 2002, the Shields Township Food Pantry is open to all residents of the township. The pantry is supported by direct donations of foodstuffs, service fees for processing passports as well as donations to the Township’s 501(c)3, Shields Township Phoenix Rising Foundation. Pantry hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The pantry is located in the offices of Shields Township, 906 Muir Avenue, Lake Bluff.