Thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Seigle Foundation, the D300 Food Pantry on Tuesday morning kicked off an initiative intended to fill a gap in its distribution model.
The Healthy Families Program will allow the 9-year-old organization to address what has been the limited and unpredictable availability of certain nutritious food items, particularly eggs, yogurt, cheese, and produce in the winter months, said Michele Clark, the pantry’s director of development.
“We feel everyone deserves to have healthy food,” Clark said.
With grocery prices remaining high and uncertainty lingering about SNAP benefits, D300 Food Pantry officials said the number of those seeking assistance from them has significantly grown in recent years.
Board President Nikki Kuhlman said that before July 2023 changes in SNAP benefits qualifications, the pantry was helping feed about 80 families a week. That has grown to currently assisting 200 families a week.
The D300 Food Pantry is based in a small, warehouse-like space on the southeast side of Carpentersville Middle School. But for several holiday weeks throughout the year, it is open for shopping every Wednesday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. by appointment and Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m., with appointments encouraged and walk-ups allowed.
Kuhlman said the number of walk-ups has grown in the last year or so from 15 or so to around 30.
Participating families must live within Community Unit School District 300 boundaries and have a family member 18 or younger. Those 18 or younger do not have to attend D300 schools. The pantry is also open to qualifying employees of District 300, Durham Bus Company, and OrganicLife Food Service, or those who attend Elgin Community College or McHenry Community College. Participants must also set up and have a Northern Illinois Food Bank Link2Feed account.
Kuhlman said that, but for Clark, the program is run by volunteers. About 400 people help, with a core of 35 or so consistently assisting, she said.
During a presentation on Tuesday, Kuhlman thanked the Seigle Foundation for its generosity. Related to the Healthy Food Program, she said that the D300 Food Pantry is planning to start a wellness program for its clients in the spring.
The Seigle Foundation was founded by Mark and Robin Seigle, who were born and raised in the Elgin and Dundee areas. Their foundation funds local nonprofit arts, education, housing, and food-related organizations.
“This is my third time here, and each time I’ve been more and more impressed,” Mark Seigle said of his Tuesday visit to the pantry.
