The groundbreaking District 300 Food Pantry has had a banner first year by any measure.

(CREDIT: D300 Food Pantry)

The facility is the first in-school food pantry in Kane County and opened its doors to all students, their families and employers of School District 300 last year.

“District 300 is the sixth-largest school district in the state of Illinois, with more than 21,000 students, and we are pleased to announce our first-year results,” said Craig Raddatz, president of the D300 Food Pantry.

Quick Stats: One Year

• 464 Registered Families
• 2,295 Individuals Fed
• 1,154 Kids Fed
• Average Number of Families Serviced Per Week: 72
• More Than 80 “Varied Support” Instances
  • Emergency Food Drops
  • Home Deliveries
  • Off-Hours Shoppers

During the course of the year, the pantry served 3,512 gallons of milk, 101.4 tons of food and 243,362 meals. More than 250 volunteers contributed more than 3,300 volunteer hours during the year.

(CREDIT: D300 Food Pantry)

For year two, the goals of the pantry organizers are to expand its storage options, provide a greater variety of product offerings and expand resources for clients by providing recipes, nutritional information and gluten-free options. Organizers are hoping to raise $50,000, and have made donations possible on the District 300 Food Pantry website.

The D300 Food Pantry is located inside Carpentersville Middle School at 100 Cleveland Ave. Access to the pantry is at DOOR 20, located around back of the building near the area that school buses park.

The pantry is open for clients from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings, and clients can come as early as 4:30 p.m. to get registered or get in line.

Volunteer shifts are available Tuesday mornings, Tuesday evenings, and Wednesday evenings. Click this link to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Emergency food services are available at any time and can be arranged by contacting the pantry manager at 972-965-2454 or kkorth@d300foodpantry.org.

SOURCE: District 300 Food Panty PowerPoint presentation and website

Read More

District 300 To Open First In-School Food Pantry in Kane County