A drive-thru food drive benefitting the School Street Food Pantry supported by Illinois State University’s Civil Service Council and Administrative/Professional Council will be held Saturday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to noon at the School Street Food Pantry.
The pantry is located inside Normal First United Methodist Church at 211 North School Street. Donors are asked to enter the parking lot from Locust Street and have donations ready for removal from their vehicle’s backseats or trunks.
Nonperishable food items and cash donations will be accepted. The School Street Food Pantry is open and free to Illinois State University and other college or trade school students in Bloomington-Normal experiencing food insecurity. It provides nutritious and safe foods, personal care items, and cleaning supplies. The pantry serves hundreds of students each year; from August 2021 to July 2022, it served 633 individuals and accommodated over 3,800 pantry visits.
“This is an easy way for both campus and community members to make a big impact by dropping off just a few needed food supplies,” said Doris Groves ’81, School Street Food Pantry co-chair and retired Illinois State staff member. “A successful event will provide us with enough nonperishable food items to serve local college students through the end of the semester and into the summer.”
Specific items of need include pasta and pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, canned tuna and chicken, rice, canned beans, peanut butter, canned fruit (in juice), flour, sugar, cooking oil, and spices.
Illinois State Director of Civic Engagement Katy Strzepek called the School Street Food Pantry a “wonderful resource in our community.” Supporting the pantry, she said, is an opportunity for Redbirds to serve their community.
“Our campus engages in many types of civic engagement such as philanthropy, service, and civic learning when connecting with the pantry,” said Dr. Strzepek, one of A/P Council’s service representatives. “By donating items and resources that match the pantry’s requests, donors are thoughtful philanthropists.”
Illinois State’s Civil Service and A/P councils provide non-academic staff a voice on campus as part of the University’s shared governance system. The councils sponsor various fundraising and community service efforts throughout the year; they have partnered with School Street Food Pantry every year since it opened in 2018.
“The Civil Service Council maintains a strong tie to the Bloomington-Normal community through different community service projects, and one we are always excited to support is the School Street Food Pantry,” said Stuart Palmer ’15, Honors advising specialist and Civil Service Council chair. “I strongly encourage ISU faculty and staff and community members to help support local students through our spring food drive.”
Individuals interested in volunteering for the food drive can sign up online. Those unable to donate during the event can do so at other times; details are available on the School Street Food Pantry website.
For more information, contact the Civil Service Council at CSCouncil@IllinoisState.edu or the School Street Food Pantry at SchoolStreetFoodPantry@gmail.com.
