As food prices rise, the demand for food pantry services grows with it. It’s a trend that was noted at the West Suburban Community Pantry’s State of the Pantry presentation last Wednesday.
Increase in pantry shoppers
“So last year, we saw over 110,000 people and that’s up 70% from the previous year,” said Paul Matsushima, Director of Pantry Operations for West Suburban Community Pantry.
To keep up with the demand, the Woodridge pantry has been pulling in more food, with nearly 3 million pounds provided this year as compared to 1 million in 2022.
Supporting shoppers through more than just groceries
But food isn’t the only growing need. According to the CDC, food insecurity puts people at a 257% higher risk for anxiety. The West Suburban Community Pantry has services in place to help those struggling better find their footing.
“Anybody who comes here can sit down with either our counselor or our case manager and talk about what issues they’re facing and how we can best mitigate that. Our counselor offers one-on-one professional counseling right here,” said Sue Armato, CEO of the West Suburban Community Pantry.
The pantry also helps connect patrons with services they may not be aware of.
“Last year, we helped connect over 2,000 people to $210,000 worth of benefits that they didn’t already have, which if you think about a family that’s really struggling to make ends meet, if you now have an extra $200 a month and like food support or some other support, that can be the difference between your family going to bed without dinner or having dinner or being able to pay for gas to get to work or not,” said Armato.
Dealing with the language barrier
The clients the pantry serves are from a variety of backgrounds. 42% of them are not English speakers. The pantry has addressed that through signage in four different languages, and through a special phone voice translation system that allows them to communicate with shoppers in any language.
“We can find out like, what do you really need? How can we really improve your experience here today? Because we have that authentic conversation,” Armato said.
The pantry’s virtual shop also offers more than 30 languages for shoppers’ convenience.
And the food in-house is often reflective of the diverse heritage of the patrons who come to shop.
“We make sure that we have ethnically supportive foods, food choices, whether you’re from the Ukraine or you’re from Colombia. We want to make sure that we have foods that are comfortable that remind you of home, that make you feel good that is a part of your normal diet. That’s important to us,” said Armato.
Continue to offer life changing support
The pantry has also partnered with some local hospitals to help those experiencing hunger problems be assisted with virtual food orders upon discharge. It’s all part of the pantry’s greater mission to go beyond groceries and enact real change in people’s lives.
“You’re not just talking about helping people not be hungry. You’re talking about giving people hope,” said Armato.
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