Elmhurst Pantry Sees Big Hike In Use

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry has seen a spike in the number of families per month.

The pantry reported this week the number has increased by 26 percent over last year. It said its efforts are important to help families struggling with inflation.

"We all had a spike when COVID hit because people lost their jobs overnight," the pantry's executive director, Kathie Watts, said in an interview. "Then things quieted down."

Federal government programs increased aid to the poor, but then a lot of the assistance dried up. For a while, the pantry's activity was "pretty static," Watts said.

"That's when we started hearing from all these new families and those coming back to us who we haven't seen in a while," she said. "They're working to put gas in their car. Everything is so expensive now."

The pantry serves residents of Elmhurst, Bensenville, Oak Brook, Villa Park, Lombard, Addison, Hillside and Berkeley.

In September, the pantry, which is at 1083 S. York St., plans to undertake its "Change Hunger" campaign.

It is suggesting a number of ways residents can help:

• Donate spare change to the pantry. Coin jars will be available at the pantry, Wagner Community Center, Sugar Creek Golf Course and Centennial Park Recreation Center.
• Support restaurants that are sponsoring giveback programs on different days: Doc's Victory Pub (Sept. 21), HB Jones (Sept. 26) and Victory Meat & Seafood (Oct. 5). At these places, a quarter of sales will go to the pantry.
• Visit Gambino's Italian Deli from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, when a quarter of sales from a designated sandwich will go to the pantry.
• During September, customers can round up to the next highest dollar at Ebel's Ace Hardware, 1028 S. York St., to donate the proceeds to the pantry.