About
the Danville Area Food Pantry
The
following information is provided by Danville Area Food Pantry
Director Chuck Brooks.
History
| Guidelines | Inventory
| Volunteers
Introduction
In
2007, the Danville Area Food Pantry served over 3,500 families
or 8,116 individuals. We had almost 700 new families that had
never been to the Food Pantry before. We are still seeing a
number of families that have faced a plant closing or layoff.
We are also seeing a number of seniors that now have the children
and grand children moving back in with them. These numbers seem
to increase every month.
The
Danville Area Food Pantry coordinates its efforts with the Salvation
Army. We are open three days a week with the Salvation Army
being open the other two. Below are the guidelines for the Danville
Area Food Pantry. We also coordinate efforts with the American
Red Cross to help any fire or disaster victims in our community.
History
The
Danville Area Food Pantry was formed in 1982 to help meet the
emergency food needs of the unemployed in our community. At
that time a group of local unions, churches and social service
agencies got together to develop an agency that could work with
the unemployed of our area, many of whom were facing unemployment
for the first time. It was thought at that time that the food
pantry would only be needed for a short time. Unfortunately,
the Danville Area Food Pantry is serving more people today than
ever before.
The
Danville Area Food Pantry had very humble beginnings. Starting
out in a former Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant next to the
YWCA/Women’s Shelter, the food pantry relied mainly on
donated food and donations with client referrals to the pantry
coming from a wide variety of social service agencies.
A
need for a more permanent social worker and the need of the
YWCA to raise the old Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant led
to a partnership with the Salvation Army in the late 1980’s
where the Salvation Army would house the food pantry in on of
their buildings and the Salvation Army case worker would do
all of the intake for the food pantry and refer clients there.
In
April of 1998 the Danville Area Food Pantry moved to a larger
facility in the Danville Township Building. It was thought at
the time that this would allow us to be more visible in the
community and allow for more food storage. At that time a partnership
was formed with the Danville Area Community Services Council
to handle the client intake for the pantry with Danville Township
donating the pantry space. In August of 2000 we moved into our
new location. With the near doubling of the number of people
served we had outgrown the small space in the Township building.
The Danville Township #2 Building located at 141 N. Walnut Street
has three times the space for clients. We also use half of the
second floor for food storage. Danville Township workers help
with the food distribution and handle all of the intake.
The
Danville Area Food Pantry supplies each client with a five day
supply of food which also includes government commodities when
available.
The
Danville Area Food Pantry holds two major food drives each year.
The first is held the second Saturday in May. We work with NALC
Branch 825 and the letter carriers food drive. Over the years
more than 200 tons of food have been collected with half going
directly to the food pantry. The second is the Frostbite Marathon
which is held at County Market the first weekend of December
each year and is sponsored by WDAN/WDNL and County Market. The
goal this weekend is to fill a large Pepsi truck with food.
As successful as this is, the food collected that weekend will
only last a month.
All
of the food and money raised in the community, stays in our
community helping those in need.
Guidelines
Adopted March
16, 1998
The
Danville Area Food Pantry is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in the Danville Township 2 building
located at 141 N. Walnut St., Danville. Our service area is
Vermilion County, Illinois and Western Indiana. Below are the
guidelines for the Danville Area Food Pantry:
All
applicants must provide the following information with each
visit:
1. Must have a picture ID
2. Must have a Social Security card or other form of ID for
each household member.
3. Must show proof of current residence.
2.
Emergency/Crisis needs must be demonstrated for each visit.
Living on a fixed income does not constitute an emergency.
3.
Clients can only receive emergency services once in a 60-day
time period.
4.
The Danville Area Food Pantry is not intended to supplement
food stamps. However, in case of an emergency, verified by an
Illinois Department of Public Aid caseworker, assistance may
be granted.
5.
Persons who fraudulently use the Food Pantry, or give false
information to receive food, will be ineligible for at least
6 months.
6.
Persons who are eligible can apply at the Danville Township
#2 Building, 141 N. Walnut Street, Danville, during regular
food pantry hours.
7.
All applicants have the right to an appeal any decision.
Inventory
The
Danville Area Food Pantry works very hard to maintain our inventory
so that our customers receive the same basic food items every
visit. We partner with County Market in Towne Centre to be able
to purchase the food we need at the best prices. In addition
to the weekly bread purchases we make, the following nonperishable
food items are distributed.
|
Cereal
Macaroni & Cheese
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Tuna
|
Pasta
Spaghetti Sauce
Ravioli
Jiffy Mix
|
Canned
Fruit
Canned Vegetables
Ramen Noodles
Soup
|
In
addition to the above, we also distribute other donated food
items and products donated by local companies like Full Fill,
Hawkeye Foods and many others.
Volunteers
The
Danville Area Food Pantry uses a number of volunteers to help
with the food drives and every day operations of the food pantry.
All of the money raised by the Food Pantry is used to purchase
food. Below are a few of the ways that the Danville Area Food
Pantry works:
-
Danville
Township provides all of the space for the Food Pantry to
both operate and store food at no charge
-
Danville
Township employees staff the Food Pantry during the time
it is open
-
Peer
Court provides workers during food drives and some of the
sacking
-
Green
Meadows Girl Scouts Troop 39 provides workers during food
drives
-
The
U of I Extension office provides nutritional information
to our customers
-
Yearly
Food Drives
-
Letter
Carriers Food Drive the Second Weekend of May
-
Frostbite
Marathon at County Market the First weekend in December
-
Halo
Project food drive in the local schools
-
Monthly
financial donations from local churches, community groups,
unions and individuals
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