Politics & Government

Visitors Increase, Donations Down at Food Pantry

Up until the holiday season, the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry has seen a record low in donations while also seeing a steady increase in the number of families needing assistance.

The good thing about the holiday season for the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry is that people are in the giving spirit.

For the food pantry,  the more donations the merrier. The food pantry has seen a steady increase in the number of families seeking food assistance even as donations have dropped,

“Thankfully, this time of year becomes what we call our bountiful season. We see many, many donations,” said Mary Piemonte, volunteer manager for the food pantry.

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But that tends to drop off come January. And Piemonte has been asking organizations to spread out the donations throughout the year.

“We tend to get everything at once, and we are thankful for what we get,” she said. “But we have been also encouraging everyone to spread it out a bit more.”

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The food pantry updates its website with its "current needs" for those looking to donate. 

Donations Abundant for Hearts of Gold

Hearts of Gold, an organization that collects donations of gifts and food for families in need during the Christmas season, has seen a small increase in the number of families it will provide donations for this year: from 45 families last year to 50 families this year. 

Petra Schmid, a Hearts of Gold organizer, said the amount of donations coming in this year has been impressive. Hearts of Gold sets up "giving trees" throughout the community and hangs tags from the trees with information on different presents requested. 

Those wishing to donate will take a tag and then return with the gift, leaving it under the giving tree. The last day to drop off gifts is Monday. 

Hearts of Gold also collects food donations during the holiday season. She estimated that with the amount of food coming in, the group would be able to hand out four to five baskets full of food to each family. 

Record Low Year for Donations, More Households in Need

Until the holiday season, this year has seen a record low in donations to the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry

“Our donations are definitely down from any other year we have been open,” said Piemonte, adding that the pantry has been open for 11 years. 

That comes at a time when more and more families are looking to the food pantry for help.

From January 2010 to September 2010, the food pantry served 2,399 families. During that same time period this year, the food pantry served 2,453 households and has seen a steady increase of about 15 more families each month.

Piemonte believes the demographic of those in need in McHenry County has seen a dramatic shift in recent years. 

“The food pantry is seeing more of your ‘average American families’ coming in," she said. "We are finding that there are a lot of families in our area who have lost a job and maybe their unemployment is ending. They are coming in needing that extra assistance." 

The state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has seen a 168 percent increase in the number of people needing assistance in McHenry County since 2006, according to a Daily Herald article. The program provides food stamps to those who qualify.

The Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry continues to raise funds for . Those looking to donate to the pantry's capital fund can do so through PayPal on the pantry's website.


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