Good Ol‘ St. Nick

Despite a pelting and persistent rain, approximately 170 area families received a total of 9,902 pounds of food Wednesday, Dec. 14, during the mobile food pantry’s visit to Gardner.

Each household received approximately 58 pounds of food, including 15 pounds of frozen meat and a wide variety of other items, including pies, cakes, flour, potatoes and bread.

Operation St. Nick provided the funds and at least 25 volunteers for the mobile food pantry.

“You see this many people standing out in the rain, waiting this long to get food, you know there’s a real need there, and we’re so grateful to be able to help fill it especially at this time of year,” said Joe Schmitz, president of Operation St. Nick.

The next mobile food pantry will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at First Christian Church, 455 W. Southmor Road, Morris. It is sponsored by First Christian Church.

Registration will begin at approximately 3:45 p.m. At least the first 100 numbers for a place in line will be drawn by lottery.

Any family that resides in Grundy County and is in need of assistance with food is welcome to come to these food distributions.

Recipients are asked to provide proof of their residency either with a valid driver’s license, state ID or utility bill with their current Grundy County address.

Every person in line will be asked to show this proof, even if they have been to a mobile food pantry in the past.

Those interested in attending are encouraged to bring a container to carry the items they will receive. Plastic laundry baskets and wheeled carts work well for this purpose.

It is not necessary to let us know if you plan to attend the distributions, but if you have any questions, please feel free to call the We Care office at (815) 942-6389.

Upcoming mobile food pantry sponsors include Morris Hospital, First Midwest Bank and Mazon State Bank.

We Care is a local nonprofit agency that provides emergency assistance to Grundy County residents in the form of food, rent, utility and prescription assistance.

We Care is a United Way partner agency and is funded primarily by private donations.