Category Archives: Blog Post

Dr. Michael Montgomery has submitted his resignation as Executive Director of Food for Greater Elgin effective at the end of July, 2023. The Board of Directors has hired Andres Diez to replace him in that role. Montgomery was called to serve as executive director in January, 2020, when COVID-19 was a distant rumor and Food for […]

The regular rotation of officers on Food for Greater Elgin brings new people into leadership roles beginning July 1. Rachel Traficanti, of Maintenance Coatings Inc and a five-year member of the Board of Directors, was elected chairperson of the Board, replacing Michael Storey; Michael will remain on the Board. Ed Kowalski joins the board after […]

On Friday, just as I was leaving the pantry after a long day, a car pulled into the lot. I drove up to the car to tell them we would reopen on Monday, when the driver explained that she had just gotten out of the hospital and had $1.47 to her name. There is a […]

Dear Friends, You know that feeling after a long, hard day, when you finally kick off your shoes and sit down at your kitchen table, happy to be home but find yourself faced with the never-ending predicament: What to do about dinner? It’s one of life’s forever problems we’re all familiar with. For most of […]

Our new, 26-foot box truck (on order for more than a year!) is due to arrive at the end of the month. What should we name it? Chow Hound? Sue’s Wheels (after our founding Executive Director, Sue Erickson). Cities are naming snowplows (Chicago’s “Mrs. O’Leary’s Plow,” Minnesota’s “Clearopatha,”) so why not us? Submit an entry […]

We are seeing record numbers of people turning to Food for Greater Elgin for food. In December,we averaged 688 families a week. In January, that shot up to 861 families—a number that is holding pretty consistent through February. What’s going on? 1. The first of three impacts of changes in US government food aid (SNAP, […]

The arrival of $100,000 from the Bank of America spurred some thinking about the nature of giving in our lives.  We rightly celebrate it! From my desk, with its never-ending stack of bills, I am deeply appreciative of this gift: It will help us meet the call of our mission. Thank you, Bank of America. […]

Elgin, IL—Bank of America awarded $100,000 to Food for Greater Elgin, a client-choice food pantry located in Elgin, IL. These funds will augment their efforts to provide food security in the greater Elgin area.  Bank of America pledged to donate $50 to Food for Greater Elgin for each of its own employees who received a […]

In October, Russell Buckardt came up to me during the First Presbyterian Church Martin Luther King food drive, wanting to fill me in on a gift from the church, the Buckardts, and their IRA.  Pam and Russell are at the age where they are required to take a minimum payout from their IRA. Their financial […]

I’m a senior, and I don’t have a car. While my relatives can take me shopping when they are in town, I really depend on FFGE and the box of food that they bring every week. This week, there was a mix-up, and I didn’t get my box when I was supposed to. I was […]