The Woodstock Food Pantry is aiming to move to a much larger space this fall, and plans a fundraiser Sunday to help cover the costs.

Pam Moorhouse, a pantry board member leading a capital campaign to raise funds for the move, said the pantry has had to turn down donations from grocers including Walmart and Jewel because there is no room to store them.

The community has been very supportive and generous to the pantry, but it’s hard to find storage for donations between drop-off and pickup, she said.

The pantry is located at the Dorr Township building off Lake Avenue. It’s been there since 2012, and Moorhouse said the township doesn’t charge rent, which the pantry is grateful for and has allowed them to save for the future.

But that future is here. The pantry, entirely run by volunteers, is planning to open at 708 Washington Street in Woodstock, the former home of Independence Health and Therapy. Renovations have started on the new space, Moorhouse said.

“In late 2024, we decided we needed to begin looking for a larger building either to purchase or rent as we could no longer operate efficiently in the 1,500 square foot location. We decided the pantry needed a permanent home so we opted to buy,” Moorhouse said in an email.

The new space is around 8,000 square feet and will offer a more “much more dignified” shopping experience, she said.

Currently, the pantry has a small waiting room which can seat maybe half a dozen people, so clients often have to wait outside in inclement weather before it’s their turn, Moorhouse said.

When it’s their turn, clients fill out a menu and volunteers go and get their food. But the experience is “awkward,” Moorhouse said.

The new location, by contrast, will offer shopping carts and clients can shop on their own. Volunteers will still be on hand, as will signs telling clients how much they can take.

Currently, the pantry can only serve four or five clients in an hour, and people sometimes leave before they can get food because they have to get somewhere, Moorhouse said, adding the goal is to serve 20 clients in an hour in the new place.

Demand for pantry services has increased. In 2024, the pantry served 4,500 households and about 13,000 people. In 2025, that rose to 6,124 households and 16,543 people, Moorhouse said.

She also noted that the price of everything has increased. If someone has to pay for rent, utilities, medicine and food but does not have enough money, food might get the short end of the stick, Moorhouse said. People in that situation know they can come to the pantry and get help.

“This is a tough time for a lot of people,” Moorhouse said, adding it’s not just families but also seniors, who make up about 30% of clients.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food aid program known as SNAP, also has new eligibility requirements that started in February. State officials estimate about 340,000 Illinoisans could lose benefits under those requirements.

The food aid program has faced other uncertainty lately – some recipients saw benefits delayed in November because of the federal government shutdown.

The SNAP uncertainty and changes have “not helped,” Moorhouse said, adding that people come to the pantry “because they have to.”

Moorhouse said the pantry doesn’t ask for proof of income, but clients fill out an intake form. The pantry needs to know if the client lives in Woodstock, Moorhouse said. They will feed those who don’t live in Woodstock, but Moorhouse said many McHenry County community have food pantries and Woodstock pantry volunteers will guide people to offerings in their communities.

But, Moorhouse said, the pantries have different hours and operate differently, and that might mean someone may not be able to visit their home pantry.

Woodstock’s hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The pantry is hoping to offer evening and Saturday hours after the move to meet the needs of working clients, Moorhouse said.

The campaign raised $1 million in donations by the end of February, but the pantry is hoping to raise $1.25 million, she said.

To that end, the food pantry is hosting its first-ever fundraiser Sunday afternoon at Kishwaukee Brewing Co., 1900 Dillard Court in Woodstock.

Karen Haug, a food pantry board member and fundraiser organizer, said the pantry has been around for a long time and has, until now, been able to get by on food and monetary donations from the community.

But the pantry will need to start fundraising in the future. Haug expects there will be a fundraiser every year going forward.

“There is such a need out there,” Haug said, adding it would be nice if there would not be a need for a food pantry, but there is. She said the need for pantry services has increased, but so have donations.

The fundraiser will run from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday and feature Irish musicians in a nod to the St. Patrick’s Day theme. There will also be food and drinks, a silent auction and raffles, Haug said.

Around 20 local businesses have pitched in or donated items for the fundraiser, and Haug said it was “heartwarming” to see support from the businesses and community.

“We expect a good crowd” Sunday, Haug said.

For more information, visit woodstockfoodpantry.org.