Volunteers needed at Carpentersville food pantry
It's not as many as McDonald's, but the number of meals the FISH Food Pantry in Carpentersville has served since it opened has to be in the tens or even the hundreds of thousands.
That was 40 years ago in June. Then, four volunteers gave the food to needy northern Kane County residents from a classroom at St. Monica's Catholic Church in Carpentersville.
"At first, we were open one day; then, we expanded to three days a week," said Norma Perry, one of the first volunteers. "We were the first food pantry to operate in the area. We served people in Dundee Township, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Hampshire and Burlington."
The organization was the idea of St. Monica's, St. Catherine of Siena Church in West Dundee, Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee and 10 other churches whose clergy saw too many hungry people walking around in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
"Just as there is today, there were a lot people with families and not enough money to feed them," she said. "And those churches are still active in keeping food on our shelves. If it wasn't for them, the postal workers' drives, private donations and (Community Unit Dundee) District 300 schools, we would have been able to meet the demand.
"In 40 years, we never turned away a family because we didn't have food to give them. We've never even turned away a family."
Most of the items come from food and monetary donations. FISH receives regular government allotments of cheese and eggs. The donated money is spent on ground beef and chicken.
As the demand for food grew so did FISH's need for more space. It moved to a storefront in the Meadowdale Shopping Center and eventually to its current headquarters inside the Route 25 shopping center.
"In 2009, we served an average of 485 families (or more than 1,600 individuals) a month," said Marilyn Mack, FISH's president. "Our area isn't as big as it was when we first opened; now we only cover the Dundee Township border. The need is still there, and thankfully the generosity is there, too."
The pantry is open from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
"Many mornings people are lined up at the door before we open, Perry said. "There are some days we wouldn't leave until after 1 p.m."
That generosity is reflected in the pantry being woven into Dundee Township traditional fabric. Every year, groups such as the Dundee Township Park District keep FISH in their thoughts when they plan events, such as the haunted hay ride at Halloween. Riders pay less for admission if they bring canned food that is donated to FISH.
When West Dundee firefighters or members of veteran organizations have leftover frozen turkeys from their Thanksgiving raffles, FISH volunteers receive them to give to needy residents.
"Area grocery stores, such as Trader Joe's, donate their day-old bread to us," Perry said. "I've volunteered with FISH for 30 years; most of those years I sat at the desk and took information from people before they receive their food. Many of them cried and were so embarrassed to have to ask for food. I'm just thankful we were there to give it to them."
FISH volunteers are planning their 40th anniversary celebration with an open house on June 27. For information about the celebration, call the pantry at (847) 428-4357.