Oswego's East View Academy would host monthly food pantry under terms of agreement

The Kendall County Community Food Pantry would offer a monthly satellite food pantry in the East View Academy gymnasium at 4209 Route 71, Oswego, under terms of a draft agreement between the food pantry and Oswego School District 308.

The draft agreement is subject to a vote of approval by the District 308 Board of Education. The board's next meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31.

According to information provided by the district, a total of 288 district families from the Oswego 60543 and Montgomery 60538 zip codes visited the Yorkville-based food pantry more than 1,100 times in the first four months of 2020. The district also held two mobile food pantries in cooperation with the Northern Illinois Food Bank in February and April, servicing a total of 220 families between the two events.

The COVID-19 pandemic also showed district administrators an increased need in assistance for area families.

Director of Social Emotional Learning Dr. Heidi Podjasek told the board during an Aug. 10 meeting that for some families, the distance between Oswego and Yorkville "can be a barrier."

"While that's a large number of visits to the food pantry, we believe that could be many, many more," Podjasek told the board.

A draft of the agreement between the district and food pantry states that the food pantry would provide the food items and the district would provide the venue, coordinate volunteers and house shelving, freezers and refrigerators for food storage. The district would also designate space and process/procedures for volunteer and client parking, traffic flow, food distribution, food storage between distribution days, and unencumbered access to these areas by designated food pantry personnel.

The service would take place after the conclusion of the school day, and when students are not on campus, Podjasek said.

The district would also undertake the cost of preparation, maintenance and any needed repairs of designated spaces, electric connections and continuous power for refrigeration units.

The food pantry would provide "frozen meats, canned goods, bread, and fresh fruits and vegetables, all on an as-available basis" as well as provide food storage equipment, signage, and a client registration system for the satellite branch, according to the agreement.

The food pantry would also supply a client registration system, computers, bar code readers, ID badge cameras, an ID badge printer, and other needed technology "in order to conduct operations in an effective and efficient manner." The food pantry would also supply training on the client registration system, "or a suitable number of Oswego satellite leaders, in the weeks immediately prior to opening day of the Oswego Satellite."

Each client, or household receiving assistance, must be registered within the food pantry's client management system, and present their barcoded ID card at each visit. New clients must supply basic demographic data and complete a client registration form.

The agreement states that the starting date of the satellite pantry would be Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, and would be held the first Friday of the month for one year. For the first several months of the program, the pantry would operate as a drive-up service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the arrangement proves successful, Podjasek said that the district and pantry would approach the board with a proposal to increase the satellite pantry to twice a month.