Belleville food drive to help pantry deal with what comes next in COVID-19 crisis
Community Interfaith Food Pantry in Belleville has been holding its own during the COVID-19 pandemic because of two surprises — increased donations and decreased demand — but no one knows what August will bring.
On July 31, Illinois residents eligible for state unemployment benefits stopped receiving additional $600 weekly checks from the federal government as part of coronavirus-relief efforts. Congress is debating another relief package, but it’s not known when it will pass or take effect or what provisions it will contain.
Many people also believe that some furloughed workers will actually lose their jobs now that the number of COVID-19 cases are rising in parts of the state, including the metro-east. Officials have considered going back to stronger restrictions, and that could negatively affect the economy.
“Just dealing with the length of this pandemic ... There’s no end in sight,” said Phil Elmore, Ward 7 alderman on Belleville City Council.
Volunteers in Elmore’s ward have been collecting groceries and other supplies and dropping them off at the food pantry for the past four months, and some Belleville neighborhoods have even held contests to see which could donate the most.
Now Elmore is helping to organize a citywide food drive on Friday night with drop-off points at Big Daddy’s and Bennie’s Pizza Pub in downtown Belleville.
“We’re just trying to keep the food pantry prepared for any volatile situations that it could be headed for,” he said. “... If greater numbers of families are coming in and shelves are empty, that’s not the time to go out and do a food drive.”
Shortages in March
Community Interfaith Food Pantry was experiencing severe shortages in March, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. One problem was that it couldn’t use cash donations to buy some of the extra items it needed because grocery stores had set purchase limits to prevent hoarding.
The pantry board made a public appeal for donations of food, toiletries and other supplies.
“The response we got from the community was amazing,” said Susan Evers, board president. “We had food pouring in the doors.”
The board and staff had expected an influx of new clients due to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order and other actions that closed businesses and resulted in furloughs and layoffs, but the opposite occurred. Demand actually dropped.
The food pantry has been serving 300 to 400 needy families a month instead of its usual 750 to 800, according to Director Michael Foppe.
“That is something that has puzzled us, and we have been open the entire time,” Evers said.
“All of the other pantries I checked with, their numbers are down, too, except for the ones that are doing drive-thru, where they throw stuff in the trunk,” Foppe said. “I’m not real sure why, unless people just don’t want to get out and have contact with the virus, or it’s simpler just to do a drive-thru.”
The Belleville food pantry offers curbside pick-up. Some grocery stores deliver.
Area food pantries have even called each other, suggesting that they share donations of meat from stores because they didn’t want it to go to waste and didn’t have enough clients to distribute it all, Foppe said.
Volunteer force stable
Another concern at Community Interfaith Food Pantry in March was how the COVID-19 pandemic might affect its 100 volunteers. Many are senior citizens at greater risk of serious illness if they contract the coronavirus.
To Foppe’s relief, those who opted to follow doctor’s orders and stay home were replaced by new, younger volunteers who had been furloughed or laid off from jobs.
“I’m going to miss them when they leave,” he said, laughing. “They’ve got strong backs.”
Hours at the food pantry are 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays.
The Belleville citywide food drive will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday. Those who can’t go inside the restaurants can drop off items in front of Big Daddy’s at 313 E. Main St. or in back of Bennie’s Pizza Pub at 124 E. Main St.
“I’ve got an army of volunteers who will be taking care of getting the food from the drop-off spots to the food pantry,” Elmore said.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Belleville food drive to help pantry deal with what comes next in COVID-19 crisis."
