Spanish-speaking migrants drive need for translators at Illinois Valley food pantries

Summer is here, and that means local food pantries need donations to feed hungry children with school out of session. They need kid-friendly foods, such as microwavable mac-and-cheese and juice boxes.

The food pantries also need something else this year: Volunteers who speak Spanish.

A growing number of clients seeking food assistance are migrants from Central and South America who speak little or no English, food pantry organizers have said. Migrants have, in recent months, bused from border states to welcome centers including Chicago. Now, some of the new arrivals have moved downstate in search of jobs and housing, organizers have said. Before this, food pantries in the Illinois Valley already have seen demand growing, speaking also to other factors, such as inflation affecting those on a fixed income.

At the Streatorland Community Food Pantry, president Bertie Beckman is asking donors to help with just about everything – “Our pantry is kind of low right now” – and one of the needs is help with communicating to the rising number of Spanish-speaking clients.

The Rev. Ignacio Cardenas Moran, vicar of the Streator Catholic Parishes, confirmed the influx of migrants based in part on rising attendance at the Hispanic Mass.

“I know that many of them are originally from Guatemala and Honduras,” said Fr. Cardenas, himself a Spanish-speaking native of Mexico, “we also have people from Colombia.”

It isn’t just Streator. Several directors of food pantries in the Illinois Valley recorded a recent uptick in Spanish-language clients and, with it, greater difficulty in communicating with the new arrivals.

“We’ve always had a good percentage of people who primarily speak Spanish,” said Marissa Vicich, executive director of the Community Food Basket in Ottawa, “but definitely in the last two to three months we’ve seen a big increase.”

Tracy Cooper, executive director of the Mendota Area Christian Food Pantry, noticed an influx of migrants in late winter. Most arrived from Chicago, she said, where they obtained work visas and then were placed in touch with downstate agencies to assist them with work and shelter.

“Usually it’s one or two visits and that’s it. The first month there were eight migrants and then it was three or four a month.”

—  Tracy Cooper, executive director of the Mendota Area Christian Pantry

Cooper said most of the new arrivals were accompanied by workers with Youth Service Bureau. YSB typically sends an interpreter to assist the migrant with sign-up and then take them to a wellness exam in preparation for a job, often in seasonal employment. Most need only a couple of food donations until their paychecks begin arriving.

“So usually it’s one or two visits and that’s it,” Cooper said. “The first month there were eight migrants and then it was three or four a month.”

Jan Martin, executive director of the Hall Township Food Pantry in Spring Valley, finding a capable translator is doubly tricky because of dialectic differences between the Spanish spoken in Mexico, for example, and the tongues spoken in points further south.

“Our newest clients are coming from places like Nicaragua and Honduras,” Martin said. “Their dialect is different than the Spanish spoken locally. I put a plea out online, but so far no takers. It is a challenge.”

Mary Jo Credi, executive director of the Illinois Valley Food Pantry in La Salle, said she’s aided the new arrivals through using translation apps on her phone. The smart phone has helped her muddle through but she really needs a native speaker.

The new clients have put added pressure on food pantries to provide food assistance during summer. Credi needs donations as much as she needs an interpreter.

“I have already seen a spike,” Credi said. “Last Wednesday, on a food distribution day, we signed up nine new families in a three-hour period. We are spiking in new clients and I had a run on people seeking additional help. It’s crazy.”