Feeding Madison County, IL
Madison County Mobile Food Pantry at New Douglas·Thursday, May 28, 2020· update 1/22/2021
The Mobile Pantry at New Douglas is not a poverty program. We have 102 villages, towns and cities in Madison county but 70 of them do not have a grocery store and the average one way distance to a full service grocery store is 10 - 12 miles. That classification is what brings free food distribution to any and all Madison County residents on specified days each month to help bridge that huge grocery gap with products donated to the St. Louis Foodbank. The Foodbank delivers food to the New Douglas Township Pavilion on the dates specified each month and our community volunteers help distribute this food through a drive thru food distribution process during the COVID 19 pandemic. Normally any resident of the county signs up at our park site table, are given a number, and then when the food distribution begins are offered all food provided that day for them to take home by walking down the food line and receiving the food from each pallet. No application or income requirements are required for this program. We also provide a Senior Citizen Commodity Food Program thru the USDA to those seniors who qualify financially for this additional food distribution.. Income guidelines will be posted soon and the application is available at the Mobile Pantry site through Peggy each month. Then on the Mobile Pantry date the Senior Commodity program provides an additional box of staple food items, cheese, juice, cereal, protein as well as the senior receives all the other items that are available thru the pantry on pick up day. This program distributes approximately 12,000 lbs of food each month and started its 4th year in operation in March, 2020. We operate from March thru December and then only the Senior Commodity program continues in January and February due to the weather and no indoor facilities to offer the program. This program will continue to be offered as an outdoor food distribution program to all residents of Madison County and volunteers are always welcome to come assist us on the dates of the pantry. Interested volunteers need to arrive at the Community Center Parking Lot by 9:30 am and park their vehicles as a designated site offered by the parking manager. Food distribution begins at 9:30 am and continues until the food we receive is distributed so no closing time can be established based on this fact.
