PALOMA, ILLINOIS (WGEM) – Local food pantry officials say the demand for food is up in the Tri-States
In order to meet the demand, an annual cookout in Paloma, Illinois will help support an Adams County food pantry on Memorial Day.
“Meating the Need Cookout” continues to help stock the Community for Christ Assistance Center, as it has for the past 18 years.
Brenda Williams, the head leader for the Central Adams Firecrackers 4-H Club, said the food pantry helped 6,800 people last year and 33% of those were children. She said this cookout raises money to purchase ground beef for the food pantry at the assistance center.
Williams said the club thought it would be a good way to help serve the pantry and provide protein to those who need it. She said the pantry does get deer meat donated by hunters in the fall, but it’s normally depleted by May. She said they work to try to donate as much meat as they can.
“Over the past 17 years we’ve donated just over 13,000 pounds of meat for the center, so that averages about 775 pounds a year,” Williams said.
Williams said her goal for this cookout is to raise money to purchase 700 to 1,000 pounds of beef. She said it’s a good way to support the food bank and they need it as protein is popular.
Pat Heinecke, the director of the Community for Christ Assistance Center, said they primarily serve people in Adams County, but will also help families from Brown and Schuyler and McDonough County. She said 45% of the people they see come from within the city limits of Quincy.
She said a lot of people use their pantry because they are open on Saturdays unlike most other food pantries. Heinecke said the 6,800 people they saw last year is more than they usually get.
“From 2022 to 2023 we saw about a 25% to 30% increase. Just from January to April we’ve seen, go from about 450 to now about 620 per month,” Heinecke said.
Heinecke said the “Meating the Need Cookout” really helps support their pantry by providing ground beef for their clients and families She said with rising grocery costs and inflation ensures families can get the protein they need. She said last year alone they spent $75,000 on other food products or meat alone, so the money raised during this cookout frees up funds that they can use for purchasing food or hygiene related items.
If you want to attend the “Meating the Need Cookout,” it’s starts at noon at the Paloma Shelter House, in Paloma, Illinois.
Donations are options, but appreciated for the cookout.
If you would like to donate to the Community for Christ Assistance Center, you can call them at (217) 593-7052 or go to their website.
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