"The good news about it is that more people are discovering food pantries and emergency food programs to get food...The bad thing is, it’s just very tough to meet that need."
JIM HIRES
director E.I. Foodbank
Feeding a need
food availability in champaign county
At the end of the Eastern Illinois Foodbank’s 2008 fiscal year, it was serving approximately 33,000 people. By the end of 2009, it was up to 43,000.
“It coincided directly with the issues with the economy,” said Jim Hires, executive director of the food bank. “We were growing anyway at a very rapid pace, but it just shot up this last year. And it continues to rise.”
The food bank distributes food to 14 counties, including Champaign County. As more people have been using the services available, the places that provide those services need more resources to keep up.
"We’re not sure how long we can keep this up,” said Dennis Riggs, a volunteer at the Broadlands Food Pantry. “This is a big draw. This is a strain. Our volunteers are here a couple Saturdays a month. We have volunteers that go to Champaign to pick up the food. We have to deal with the paperwork. It’s not easy.”
There are places and programs throughout the county that give to people in need. This site is meant to give an introduction to those services and serve as a tool for people who need food.
A growing need
“You can be blind to this need that's going on in a community. You can live on the other side of town or just choose to ignore it and not even know that poverty exists right around you.”
JENNIFER YOUNG,
helping coordinator,
empty tomb
The number of individuals who have received food from food pantries has been increasing. Numbers are from food pantries that receive food from the Eastern Illinois Foodbank.
SOURCE: EASTERN ILLINOIS FOODBANK
