When people visit a food pantry, a friendly face greets them. In Woodstock, that person sometimes is Trish Moore.

Moore is one of dozens of volunteers at the Woodstock Food Pantry, some of whom help guests select the food they’d like, while others stock shelves, collect donations from grocers and food banks, and make sure it’s safe.

Moore helps out on Mondays and began volunteering with the pantry in March 2020. She retired on March 1, and COVID-19 hit a few weeks later.

“I always wanted to volunteer,” but it conflicted with her work schedule, Moore said.

She works behind the desk, but said many, many people are involved, including people who help with stock.

When someone comes into the Woodstock Food Pantry, they fill out a menu of what food they would like. Moore’s role is to take the menu and grab the items. She interacts with clients the entire time they are there, whether that means asking about the food they would like or making sure visitors have a pleasant experience.

Often, volunteers know people’s names and faces because they come in regularly – visitors can stop by twice a month – but sometimes people get back on their feet, and the volunteers don’t see them.

Corky Metras is one of the people behind the scenes, leading and coordinating eight to nine people who do food rescues. He also works alongside the team.

The team collects food from local grocers that the stores can’t sell, but the pantry can use. The group brings the food to the pantry, sorts it, ensures it’s usable, and stocks the shelves.

“They are the backbone of this,” Metras said of the team.

Metras has managerial experience and said he tries to manage by example. He won’t ask people to do something he won’t do himself.

“I’m here to do whatever’s necessary,” Metras said.

Metras said Hans Rokus, a deacon at St. Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock, connected him with the pantry in 2014.

“I was invited to come,” Metras said.

Metras didn’t do much with the food pantry before he retired, but he worked at a bread company and occasionally would bring in bread to donate.

At the time he started, he helped with Aldi runs, purchasing items the pantry needed to supplement what it received from donations or the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Then he would come back and help stock the shelves.

“It’s expanded quite a bit since then,” Metras said.

About two to three years ago, the person who placed orders with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and stocked much of the food bank’s inventory retired. Metras took on that person’s duties. His responsibilities include placing orders once a month.

“I just love helping people,” Metras said.

At Grafton Food Pantry in Huntley, Hans Stucki and Pete Schilling help keep the shelves there stocked.

Stucki said he first got involved with the food pantry in 2015. He had done volunteer work during his career, but was seeking to get more involved in retirement and heard about the food pantry.

Stucki said volunteering there has been “very satisfying.” He started off helping out once a week but expanded to twice a week.

He said he gets to interact with clients around the holidays, a very important time of year at the pantry.

In the last two years, Stucki said, demand has “pretty gradually but steadily increased.”

Schilling said he first got involved with the pantry in 2013. He also volunteers twice a week and makes pickups.

He usually doesn’t work with clients, but around the holidays, clients drive up, and Schilling will help hand out Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. He said the recipients are very thankful, and it is “rewarding for me” to see how much they appreciate it.

Harriet Ford, president of the Grafton Food Pantry board, said its volunteers “are the heart and soul of our organization. Their compassion and dedication make it possible for us to serve the community, especially as demand continues to grow. The tireless effort of these individuals is inspirational.”

At Woodstock Food Pantry, Merry Lockinger coordinates the volunteer schedule. She has “a great group” of about 55 volunteers, but always welcomes more, especially as the pantry prepares to move to a larger space.

Lockinger works at the pantry two to three times a month and said volunteers create a “very welcome atmosphere.” They’re also very good, for instance, at responding to calls for added help when big donations come in.

She said she’s never had a volunteer say they didn’t like it.

Moore said recently, a man who was on disability came in whose wife was terminally ill. On the way out, the man thanked the pantry volunteers for making the visit fun.

When something like that happens, the volunteers will say, “That is our whole point,” Moore said, to help someone who is down and out. Volunteers try to be helpful and cheerful and want visitors to feel like no one is looking down at them. Moore said anyone could find themselves in a situation where they need the food pantry.

“It’s a wonderful feeling” to help, Moore said.