Iron Dog Motorcycle Club fills the pantry

MORRIS – We Care of Grundy County received 5,640 pounds of food and a dose of “street cred,” both provided by the Iron Dog Motorcycle Club.

The club donated $750 to help We Care purchase the food from the Northern Illinois Food Bank and provided volunteers to unload the truck and stock the shelves on May 22, according to a news release from the organization.

“This was the first time the Iron Dog Motorcycle Club sponsored a Fill the Pantry date,” then-executive director Denise Gaska said in the news release. “And they finished the work in record time. They were a fun bunch of guys with big hearts, and they already signed up to sponsor a Fill the Pantry next May, too.”

Gaska has since left We Care, and its new executive director is Eric Fisher.

During the month since the last Fill the Pantry, We Care has helped 270 families from its food pantry.

We Care receives a monthly delivery of food for its pantry from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

The NIFB is able to provide food, cleaning and personal hygiene products to food pantries at prices that are unattainable in grocery stores.

In addition to the food that We Care purchases with the donations, the food pantry also receives food that is provided for free as part of the Emergency Food Program.

The EFP provided spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, beef stew and other items.

We Care is a local nonprofit agency that provides emergency assistance to Grundy County residents in the form of food, clothing, rent, utility and prescription assistance.

We Care is a United Way partner agency and is funded primarily by private donations. We Care is at 520 W. Illinois Ave., Morris. For information, visit www.wecareofgrundy.com.