Sometimes, families in the St. Joseph area need a little help.
That is where the St. Joseph Food Pantry comes in.
Years ago, the ministers from all the churches in St. Joseph met and decided the churches needed to work together on a food pantry rather than have separate ones, said Chris Cox, the director of the Food Pantry.
The Church of Christ already housed a food pantry so they decided it would stay here, Cox said.
“It’s important to know that this is a community Food Pantry that is just housed in our building,” Cox said, “but all of the churches support it.”
The pantry is located on the lower level of the St. Joseph Church of Christ at 226 E. Sherman.
Cox said around 50 families use the pantry monthly. The families aren’t just from St. Joseph but also from the small towns surrounding St. Joseph, like Mayview, Ogden, Royal and Homer.
Cox said the pantry is important to the area because there are people that need additional help.
“People living paycheck to paycheck that may have had an unexpected car repair and can’t make ends meet this month but can next month,” Cox said. “We also have people that, for whatever reason, cannot not receive added help, so we are here to support them as an addition to their normal groceries. “
Cox said they have even had people who normally donate to the food pantry come in and use the pantry when they were laid off or been off work temporarily and just need a little additional help to take care of their families.
“We tend to be the place that helps the working poor (or) those that don’t qualify for help because they are not poor enough,” Cox said.
St. Joseph resident Jill Robbins has been volunteering with the pantry for four years. She joined a service group in St. Joseph — Iota Sigma. This philanthropic sorority makes monetary donations on a regular basis to the food pantry. Robbins said at the first meeting she attended, it was announced the food pantry was nearly empty and needed donations.
She and her husband, Kent, sprang into action.
“My husband and I visited the food pantry to see how we could help,” she said.
Jill, Kent and Cox decided that more donation containers around town were needed and someone needed to assure that the donations were picked up and brought to the food pantry.
“My husband and I took on that responsibility,” Jill said. “We try to notify people of what is needed, we pick up from all the donation bins and deliver to the food pantry, and we meet with groups who donated to the food pantry.”
Donations bins are located at the three local banks, local churches, St. Joseph Auto and Diesel, AJ’s Station and the St. Joseph Township Swearingen Memorial Library.
“We encourage donations from our community with the idea that we help one another,” Jill said. “Our donations come from our citizens, from church groups, from school groups, from neighbors, from businesses, from scout and 4H groups, and from clubs.”
In order to use the pantry, a person needs to call the St. Joseph Church of Christ at 217-469-2207.
Those using the pantry need to have a state-issued ID and a copy of a piece of mail to prove a current address.
Cox said a power bill, water bill or current insurance information will work.
Jill said that the food pantry is just another example of the community taking care of one another.
“The St. Joseph community has always supported one another,” she said. “As a retired teacher, I feel that adults should model values we want our children to strive for. I have met so many wonderful coaches, sponsors, teachers, scout leaders, 4H leaders, club members, ministers, business owners and community members who are helping children to become good community members by encouraging them to help others. “
The food pantry accepts non-perishable foods, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, first aid supplies and paper products.
Cox said the pantry is always in need of laundry detergent, paper products, hygiene products and cleaning supplies.
“These cannot be purchased with a link card, if they have one,” she said.
Monetary Donations should be mailed to:
Food Pantry Director
Attention: Chris.
226 E. Sherman, St. Joseph, IL 61873
