They came in all ages and sizes, and they were moving faster than procrastinating shoppers on Christmas Eve.
The adult volunteers pushed carts of food items, shouting “beep, beep” to alert loiterers, while the children sorted through endless bags of groceries recently donated to the organization.
The FISH Food Pantry of McHenry had more than its usual six to 12 volunteers one day this week when 10 home-schooled junior high and high school kids came to help out.
“It was pretty fun,” said Nic Pedersen, 13. “We got to pack a lot of stuff and check for expired foods.” Nic and his 11-year-old sister, Breanne, were spending the day at the pantry.
Joyce Story, who home-schools her 14-year-old daughter, Rebekah, organized the event and said she would like to make it a Christmas tradition.
“It’s kind of cool to get together for a day of sharing,” Story said.
Barb Pierce, pantry director, said the 5,580-square-foot facility is pretty well stocked for Christmas, thanks to food drives and donations.
But in the next town south, the situation was a little bleaker. While the Crystal Lake Interfaith Food Pantry was adequately stocked for most goods, it was low on some items, such as canned fruit and paper goods.
Marge Fowler, pantry treasurer, said the organization particularly needs the donations now. Winter, she said, always brings an increase in the number of families visiting the pantry because seasonal workers lose their jobs at that time of year. The number of people using the pantry jumped from 700 in October to 936 in November.
Fowler said donations are necessary all year long to keep the pantries full, although Christmas is the time most contributions are received.
“People forget that these same people need to eat in the spring and the summer,” Fowler said.
The remaining six food pantries in the county have received donations that will sustain them through the holidays but are still taking monetary or food contributions to sustain them after the holidays. Paper products and toiletries, canned fruit and first-stage baby foods are in short supply at all the pantries.
In the 15 years Pierce has spent as a volunteer for the FISH organization, she has seen a tremendous increase in the number of people requiring assistance.
“When I started out, we were doing five to seven families a week, and we are up to 40 to 50 families per week with food and outreach assistance,” Pierce said.
There are some clients who will always need assistance, such as the elderly or handicapped. Others, who work seasonally or lose a job, may come in only temporarily.
Pierce urges those in need in McHenry and Nunda townships to call FISH for help, adding that she understands how difficult it is for someone to come to the pantry for aid the first time.
“People need to realize that they are not alone and that’s what we are here for–to care for them when they are in need,” she said. “We understand.”
Food pantries in the county are:
Cary: Cary-Grove Food Pantry, 8901 S. Cary-Algonquin Rd., 847-516-3602. Open Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Crystal Lake: Crystal Lake Interfaith Food Pantry, 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave., 815-455-0961. Open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Harvard: The Harvard Food Pantry, 12 N. Ayer St., 815-943-4570 (Patricia Boltz, site director) or 815-943-5121 (Alice McCluggage). Open Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m.
Huntley: The Grafton Township Food Pantry, 10109 Vine St., 847-669-3328. Open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Marengo: Marengo/Union Loaves and Fishes, 20911 Ratfield Rd., 815-568-7950. Open Wednesday from 10:30 to 12:30 a.m.
McHenry: FISH Food Pantry, 809 A Front Street (behind the McHenry Public Library), for drop-offs, or P.O. Box 282, McHenry, 60051, for mailings, 815-344-7628. Open Tuesday and Thursday, 9 to 11 a.m.
Richmond: The Community Food Pantry, 10308 Main St., 815-678-4351. Open by appointment only.
Woodstock: Pak-A-Sak, 226 W. Washington, 815-337-0375. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
