District 300 Food Pantry adapts food distribution amid COVID-19 concerns
As 31 school buildings within Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 were dormant Thursday, a few volunteers gathered at Carpentersville Middle School to package food for a weekend distribution.
Organizers of the District 300 Food Pantry are trying to adapt to the new norm - providing food assistance to families in need amid a statewide schools shutdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As the only school-based food pantry in Kane and McHenry counties, it offered drive-through distribution last Saturday.
"It went remarkably well, and we served 101 families," Executive Director Leslie LaMarca said. "We went through many of our staple products: jelly, syrup, cans of pasta, tomato products, hearty soups, snacks, granola bars, apple sauce. We were lucky enough this week to get some donations from Aramark (food service provider for schools) of yogurt cups and additional produce. We have enough right now that we're going to get through the next distribution."
Food will be distributed from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the middle school, 100 Cleveland Ave. Cars are expected to start lining up around 8 a.m. by Door 20. Food will be distributed every other Saturday. After this weekend's distribution, it will reopen April 4.
The volunteer-run pantry, which has a satellite site within Jacobs High School, serves roughly 1,000 registered District 300 families.
LaMarca is seeking cash donations to restock the pantry's now bare shelves.
"We will not turn anything away. Our preference is for cash right now ... to help us stay as streamlined and efficient as possible," she said.
Donations of food require more manpower and time to process, which can be cumbersome during this time of reduced social contact.
Despite community interest to help, organizers have refused to take on volunteers from the general public, restricting the handling of goods to roughly 10 volunteers who make up the core pantry leadership. They are packing boxes in three-hour shifts so no more than five people work together at any time, LaMarca said.
"I know they will put their gloves on, they will wash their hands, they won't show up sick ... I have to be cautious of my volunteers' health too," she said. "It's a scary time for everyone. We are all doing the best we can. The longer this goes on, it's going to get harder."