Putnam County Food Pantry hands out Christmas Baskets for its 34th annual program

While many take the opportunity to get some extra sleep in the early Saturday morning hours, many organizers and volunteers of the Putnam County Food Pantry were hard at work handing out gifts and food to those in need across the Illinois Valley.

In what has become a yearly tradition, the group set up camp at the United Church of Christ in Granville and provided Christmas baskets to many families and individuals in need.

The group gets forms of interested individuals and families and begins to create a Christmas themed basket that comes equipped with food, household items and gifts to help the recipient have a Merry Christmas.

The Christmas Basket Project has been around for the past 34 years, as organizer Gayle Reno said the Putnam County Food Pantry has been fortunate to have the support it has had for all of these years.

“Volunteers all over the county and organizations all over the county are so important,” Reno said. “Each family leaves with a basket of food including breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also have toys if there’s kids and for seniors we have clothes. It’s just a community effort for sure.”

Reno mentioned that the support the group receives from local churches and schools in the area have been instrumental to the growth and survival of the Putnam County Food Pantry.

“Our treasury is unbelievable because of us being volunteers, and if I’m missing something all I have to do is put the word out and we have it,” Reno said. “That’s just how this county is, they take care of one another.”

This yearly event has become a tradition of many throughout the community as some clients utilize the group’s services all year long.

“People always look forward to this,” Reno said. “Our pantry is down stairs and the United Church of Christ has housed us our whole life. The clients are able to come here once a month for food and this is just kind of a follow up.”

The pastor of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. Ron McNeal, said the church has been more than happy to host the group and that the community continues to see the benefits of its work.

“It’s a great opportunity and it means a lot to the people in the area to provide not only a good Christmas dinner but also presents,” McNeal said. “We give them a lot of food that goes beyond one meal so it means a lot to the ones that come here and take advantage of that.”

This year, the program was able to provide personalized baskets to 86 families from across the area. This year’s format was also a little different, as it included some deliveries and individuals picking up as a drive-through because of COVID-19.

The group’s volunteers began welcoming clients through the church’s parking lot beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, as the time frame was expected to run through 9:30 a.m.

The volunteers were hard at work throughout the past week preparing the baskets to ensure Saturday’s event went off as smoothly as possible.

The Putnam County Food Pantry is open every Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. for clients or potential clients. Anyone who is in need of the group’s services or wants to find ways that they can help are encouraged to reach out to Reno at 815-339-6480.