The McKinley food pantry at Garden Hills Elementary School remains open and has been operating continuously without interruption during the pandemic. We distribute food boxes (which have approximately 1-2 weeks worth of food in each box) on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. The boxes are prepared in advance by McKinley Church and Foundation volunteers using protective PPE and social distancing in the cafeteria on the morning of distribution. Later that afternoon, volunteers help bring the boxes out to the dock area of the school for pick up so that members of the public don’t enter the school building.
According to Andrea Miller, food pantry coordinator, “We have seen an increase of patrons to the pantry, especially families that may not be eligible for SNAP benefits. I anticipate that the need will increase if the current level of positive case gets worse, and the state has to mandate stronger restrictions.”
The average cost of distribution is about $800 each month. We provide both perishable and nonperishable food, diapers, personal hygiene items and frozen meat. Most of the food comes from the Eastern IL Foodbank, which McKinley purchases at cost, or from community donations.
If you would like to help support the McKinley food pantry at Garden Hills Elementary, fill out the form below and make a donation of any amount to the McKinley Foundation. Note: Donating through the website requires using PayPal or a debit or credit card. To pay by check, contact us pantry@mckinley-foundation.org.