The number of Kendall County area residents seeking food assistance from the Kendall County Community Food Pantry in Yorkville has doubled in the past two months, according to Greg Witek, chairman of the pantry's board of directors and fire chief for the Little Rock Fire Protection District.
Witek said Thursday, Dec. 3, the pantry is now registering 20 new families each week.
"It's a tough situation because we have more and more people in our community with need," Witek said. "But it's a gigantic blessing because the giving (of donations) from our community is consistent."
The pantry has recently added a satellite location at East View Academy in Oswego, and over Thanksgiving the pantry fed approximately 700 people with a drive-through turkey dinner. With Christmas ahead, the community organization is now setting its sights on Operation Santa - a gift drive in partnership with the Yorkville Junior Women's Club.
Families who register with the pantry by Thursday, Dec. 10 will receive presents from the Operation Santa gift-drive. Interested families must go to the pantry at 208 Beaver Street in Yorkville and register the number and age of children in the home.
In addition, the food pantry will hold another drive-through ham or turkey dinner for Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 17.
The share of people in households experiencing hunger in Illinois is far lower than most other Midwest states. Yet as the state consistently registers the most new unemployment claims in the country, Kendall County has not been spared from soaring levels of hunger nationwide.
To adapt to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and increased need, Witek said the pantry's 30 to 40 volunteers have stepped up and pre-package food items which are then distributed to patrons in their vehicles as they drive-up to the pantry.
On Thursday, Dec. 3, patrons waiting to pick-up food formed a line of vehicles that extended east on Beaver Street from the pantry entrance, down down Deer and Wolf streets and around the corner to Badger Street.
He added that donations from the community at-large have helped the pantry keep up with higher demand.
"Our community in Kendall County is taking care of it's own - we're just the middle man," Witek said. "We've had people give food, clothing and cash who have it and we're turning that into food."