Store Front Pantry
We opened our choice-based storefront pantry in early March 2023 and have seen a steady increase in families coming in the store.
We are currently have over 900 households registered in McDonough County, serving over 2,300 people. Almost twenty-five percent of our users are seniors and thirty-five percent are children. While there are a variety of different food resources for those in need, we are just one, there is a critical need for food support in McDonough County.
The people using our storefront are our neighbors. Many are retired, some are going through difficult times and just need a little help, and others are struggling to feed their families due to inflation and rising food costs. To see a child with a huge smile on her face excitedly talking to her mother, happy to see that we have eggs in the cooler, says it all.
The Good Food Pantry looks like a small grocery store, with a fresh produce section, frozen foods, and a variety of canned items. All shoppers are required to register with name, address, phone number, names and ages of those in their families, and sign confirming they are income eligible. Food quantities are based on family size.
We are open to McDonough County residents, but do require our users to meet Illinois Department of Human Services income guidelines. We also require our users to register and a photo ID is required as part of the registration process. Our registered members are allowed to use the pantry one time per month.
For those gardeners in McDonough County, we welcome donations of your surplus produce. We are already getting donations every week from the University of Illinois Extension - Macomb Master Gardens. They are providing fresh produce from their garden, thank you! If you would like to donate surplus produce from your garden, please give us a call, 309-255-4710.
Most of the food in our storefront comes from the River Bend Food Bank. River Bend gets their food from a variety of sources, but most of it is donated. We do get some free commodities each month from River Bend, but most of the food we get we pay for. But our dollars go a long way at River Bend, and we are smart shoppers. Mostly we rely on donations from our supporters to purchase the food from River Bend. A dollar donated to us equals four or five dollars at River Bend, that is how we do what we do.
Our storefront is open Tuesday and Thursdays, 2:00 - 5:00 PM, at 133 West Jackson St., Macomb, IL.
Store Front Hours
Tuesday & Thursday: 2 PM - 5 PM
