Food pantries struggle to meet demand as economy slumps

By STEPHANIE LEHMAN - slehman@nwnewsgroup.comand COLIN SELBO - cselbo@nwnewsgroup.com

Dee Ferrigan, coordinator of the Grant Township Food Pantry, sorts canned goods into boxes for the food pantry at the Grant Township Administration Building in Ingleside. (Candace H. Johnson photo)

When the economy is down, not everything hits rock bottom. Some things tend to rise, including the need for items at local food pantries.

Pantries across Lake County have seen a rise in the need for food and a decrease in monetary donations, said Dennis Smith, executive director and chief operating officer of the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The Northern Illinois Food Bank Northern Illinois Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that serves more than 520 food-assistance sites in 13 northern Illinois counties.

"This year we are indeed seeing more and more people who are in need of food support," Smith said. "And unfortunately, with the circumstance of the economy, it looks to me as if that this is just going to continue."

According to the food bank's service data, the number of families served in Lake County was up 29 percent this October when compared to last October, Smith said.

Unemployment in Lake County has increased from 4.6 percent to 6.5 percent in the last year, and 7,816 Lake County homes foreclosed during that same period, Smith said.

"Those are all indicators that more and more people are going to be in need of food support," he said.

From a food standpoint, donations are down 8 percent versus last year, Smith said. Although more people are giving, the average gift is less than in the past.

"We have, in our direct mail for the season, received more individual gifts than we've received at the same time last year," he said. "However, the gift is down from $52 to $41 dollars."

Sixty-five percent of food pantries are based out of churches, Smith said. They too have been hit hard this past year.

Faith Food Pantry in Zion, for example, served 2,360 people for Thanksgiving in just two days – the equivalent of 200,000 pounds of food, Smith said.

"They are averaging 70 new families each week. And we are seeing the same trends occur, unfortunately, throughout the county and across the region," he said.

On the rise

Amber Abbott manages the Christian Outreach Of Lutherans food pantries in Waukegan and Ingleside. She said 119 new families sought food assistance in the first week of November alone.

Coupled with the loss of donations from corporate sponsors, the pantry has had a rough time.

"[Donations] have dropped off. Our donations are definitely on the decline," Abbott said.

Bu the increased need she has seen in recent months did not come as a surprise, she said.

"Once we saw those gas prices shoot up, I saw it coming. We start pushing for bigger food drives. We just get bombarded," she said.

Even with the drop in donations, Abbott said, the number of meals served at COOL's two sites in the county has increased every month since January.

In Grant Township, officials report the number of families seeking food assistance has doubled in recent months.

Dee Ferrigan, who runs the township food pantry, expects to see further increases as the holiday season continues.

"Especially with the holidays coming up, the need is there. They want to provide gifts and we're doing the back-up with the food," she said.

The pantry currently provides food for 150 families in the township, Ferrigan said, but is prepared to serve up to 250 families this year. She attributed the increased need to higher unemployment rates and more families facing foreclosures.

New faces

Lake Villa Township Supervisor Dan Venturi said the need for food and other nonperishable items is coming from families who never needed assistance in the past.

"[We see] a lot of new families and people you wouldn't expect," he said. "People who had stable jobs for a long period of time."

The Rev. Michael Pimpo, who runs the faith-based People Lending Assistance Network food pantry in Round Lake, has seen the same demographics asking for assistance.

"The shift is going deeper in the economy," Pimpo said. "[People] are saying, 'I don't know why I have to be here, but we can't make it. My hours have been reduced at work.'"

Of the 1,000 to 1,200 people who walk through PLAN's doors every month, the largest demographic group served – by age – is children 18 and younger, Pimpo said. Seniors 60 and older represent the lowest age demographic of people served.

"That's telling me there are parents my age with kids my age who we're helping," the 40-year-old minister said.

The Lake Villa Township food pantry normally serves about 700 families a year, Venturi said, but is expecting to serve more than 1,000 this year. During the week of Thanksgiving, the food pantry distributed holiday food baskets to 70 families, up from 45 families in previous years, he said, with additional increases expected during the Christmas season.

Venturi has served as township supervisor since 2001 and said this year's increases are the highest he's seen. Fortunately, he reported, the pantry is seeing some donations from new sources this year.

"We're seeing some new awareness for the need of the food pantry. We're actually getting some food we normally wouldn't haven't gotten." Venturi said. "When the economy starts going down, it doesn't take long to realize that the food pantry is going up."

Shirley Christian, the Avon Township supervisor who oversees the Avon Township Food Pantry, said her regular contributors have continued their giving, despite the economic drop.

"From what I've observed, there are more people who are reaching out and giving to the pantry now because they realize how difficult it is for some people in the community to provide [for themselves]," she said. "I think everyone is struggling, but I haven't really seen a drop in the donations that we've been getting."

Grant Township Supervisor Kay Starostovic said residents recognize the need food pantries are facing. She believes people are trying their best to support local food pantries.

"It's probably going to be OK, but it's just the unknown," Starostovic said.

How to help

Are you in the holiday spirit but don't know where to give? The following list contains food drives, clothing drives and other ways to give back to the community during the holiday season.

• Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce food drive

Deadline: Monday, Dec. 15

Goal: 1,000 nonperishable food items

Contact: 847-546-2002

Details: Food drive for the Avon Township Food Pantry. Drop off donations at the chamber office at 2007 Civic Center Way in Round Lake Beach. Or, call the chamber to make arrangements for donations to be picked up from your home. Monetary donations also will be accepted and used to purchase canned goods that will donated to the food pantry in your name.

• Great Lakes Credit Union food drive 

Deadline: Friday, Dec. 19

Goal: Fill each grocery cart at all eight branches

Contact: Sue Malo, business development manager, 847-578-8869

Details: Great Lakes Credit Union has selected a local pantry in each of its eight branch location communities and has asked members and employees to donate nonperishable food items for families in Antioch, Gurnee, Libertyville, North Chicago, Round Lake, Spring Grove, Waukegan and Zion. Stop by any GLCU branch and look for the grocery cart in the lobby.

• Wauconda American Legion toy drive

Deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 10

Contact: American Legion Post 911, 847-526-9718

Details: Gift and donation drop-off locations include

– Island Lake Fire Department, Station No. 2, 404 E. State Road, in Island Lake

– Wauconda Fire District, Station No. 1, 109 W. Liberty St., in Wauconda

– Mega Copies, 215 E. State Road, Unit D, in Island Lake

– Dale's Harley Repair, 108 W. State Road, in Island Lake

– Docks Bar and Grill, 313 E. Liberty St, in Wauconda

– J.J. Twiggs, 1200 N. Main St., in Wauconda

– Wauconda Police Department, 311 S Main St., in Wauconda

– Wauconda Legion Post, 515 S. Main St., in Wauconda

• Adopt-a-family for Open Arms Mission Food Pantry

Deadline: Thursday, Dec. 11

Contact: To adopt a family, contact the OAM office at 847-395-0309. Visit www.openarmsmission.org for more information.

Details: Open Arms Mission Food Pantry in Antioch is looking for sponsors for families in need of Christmas gifts this season. The adopt-a-family program matches families in need with other families, churches or civic groups willing to buy gifts for them. The mission serves residents in Lake Villa and Antioch townships. Families are asked to purchase, wrap and label gifts that include warm clothing, coats, boots, bedding and household items.

• Big Jack's Chicago Style Red Hots canned food drive

Deadline: Tuesday, Dec. 23

Contact: 847-548-5225

Details: Canned food will be collected at Big Jack's Chicago Style Red Hots, located at 507 N. Hainesville Road in Round Lake Park through Tuesday, Dec. 23. The drive will benefit Catholic Charities Lake County and will be distributed throughout the county.

• For more information about local pantries, call 630-443-6910 or visit the Northern Illinois Food Bank Web site at www.northernilfoodbank.org. Scroll over the "Get Help" link at the top of the page and then click on the "Get Food" link for a list of food pantries by county.