Illinois Valley Food Pantry will celebrate 40 years with Oct. 20 open house

Continuing to fill a local need that still exists four decades after its founding, the Illinois Valley Food Pantry will observe its 40th anniversary with an open house Thursday, Oct. 20.

The public is invited to tour the pantry from 4 to 6 p.m., 122 Wright St., La Salle, and enjoy refreshments while meeting staff and members of the board of directors.

Founded in the fall of 1982, the pantry’s original intent was to provide temporary assistance to people who had lost their jobs because of factory closings; however, organizers soon realized there was a much broader need for food assistance.

“It’s not just the suddenly jobless whom we serve,” said Mary Jo Credi, the pantry’s executive director. “Senior citizens, the disabled, and others living on fixed incomes also frequently struggle financially with finding enough to eat, especially now when inflation is driving up the cost of everything, including food.”

This year, the pantry undertook a new role: providing additional food during the summer months to families with children who usually get breakfast and lunch at school during the school year.

Credi said the pantry is on track to provide 285,000 pounds of food to more than 10,000 people by the end of 2022. The pantry serves the residents of La Salle, Peru, Oglesby, Utica, Tonica, Cedar Point, Lostant and the surrounding rural areas.

Credi added being able to provide food assistance depends on the generosity of local donors and one of the reasons for having an open house is to celebrate that generosity.

“We want to see and personally thank our supporters and donors Oct. 20,” Credi said. “They are the reason we are able to do the work that we do.”