The Board of Directors of Food for Greater Elgin voted to suspend geographic boundaries for the duration of the winter (defined as January through the end of March, 2022). This means that our neighbors who live in Streamwood, Hampshire, or Gilbert will be welcomed to get food at Food for Greater Elgin!
Why are we doing this?
- Northern Illinois Food Bank has long argued that there should be no geographic boundaries to get food, and while those requirements were very important when we were established, they are much less important now. Over 50% of the food pantries in NIFB’s 13 county service area do not have service boundaries. People who come to us from outside of Elgin, South Elgin, West and East Dundee often work in Elgin, even if they live in Gilbert or Schaumburg (or Hinsdale!), and the food pantries there are not open when they get home. The requirement that you must earn under 200% of the federal poverty level will remain.
- Other food pantries have done this and reported it hasn’t made much of a difference. The reality is that people aren’t going to drive out from Chicago to get groceries, even at a place as wonderful as FFGE.
- This is for the winter only, and the Board will use this as a test case to see what effect this has on our supplies. We are being cautious: Does this over-burden our work? We will try it and find out.
- Lastly, I must confess, we are being canny. We have lost grants in the past because our service area wasn’t deemed large enough, or we didn’t serve all of Kane County. Amending our boundaries makes us eligible for a broader array of grants and other financial support.
What will change?
The most immediate change will be the surge of people in need of food because they are quarantined at home, due to exposure or infection from COVID 19. Even before the Omicron variant arrived, the Delta variant created its own spike in need. In the first week of December, we received an average of five requests for emergency food per week, while we are now getting five requests per day.
What can we do?
- We will have food for people who need it.
Over our Christmas break we will have a supply of prepared boxes for delivery by area ‘Covid Navigator programs’ from the YWCA, Gail Borden Library and AID. - Be safe! We should all get fully vaccinated! Wear your mask!
Covid-19 hasn’t gone away and areas of the country that thought that they had dodged earlier waves are getting slammed now. - Send money!
We need help to buy the food required to meet the on-rushing need in our communities.
Wishing you good health and full hearts this holiday season,
-Michael