By Diane Renner, executive director, Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry
Last month (December) it was my plan to spend some time gathering my thoughts on the year that was 2020. But, just like the rest of the year, those plans went out the window! So here I am, finally taking a moment to reflect on the year that was like no other and extending a big grateful “virtual bear hug” to the amazing community that is Aurora.
Who could have known in January 2020 that events would transpire to drastically change our community, our Nation, and our world? Luckily (if you can call it that) for those of us at Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry (MWFP), the day-to-day life serving our community always has forced us to be adaptable. Over the years, everyone at MWFP has built up certain strength and resilience in serving our community. It allowed us to respond to the COVID crisis quickly and effectively, and most importantly, as a team. I am so proud to say that the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry did not miss a single distribution day in 2020. In fact, we had seven more days of distribution in 2020 than we did the previous year! Although some of our volunteers did not come to the Pantry due to health concerns, instead many worked from home. Our volunteers who continued volunteering in person doubled down, worked more hours and did more work. The huge heart of our community came out in force, provided food for our guests, lunches for our volunteers, funds, and an occasional shoulder to lean on those rare occasions when we did not think we could possibly accommodate yet another change to our operation.
We are deeply grateful to all of our volunteers, sponsors, and community partners, who help us serve our community! We hope our “20 Ways” will make you feel proud to be a supporter of the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry.
Twenty ways the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry took on 2020:
• Provided more than 1,164,000 meals to our guests;
• There were 181 distribution days in 2020, seven more days than in 2019!
• Provided a grocery cart full of approximately 75 pounds of nourishing food to more than 35,000 families;
• Fed more than 102,000 household members: 31,947 children under 18 years of age; 54,511 persons ages 19-59; 15,753 seniors.
• Harvested 3,611 pounds of fresh produce from Marie’s Community Garden
• Joyfully, 72% of food shared came from our Food Rescue Program; weekly trips to grocers by Marie’s Food Rescue Volunteers;
• Celebrated our third year of the ‘Food4Students’ program, providing nutritious food to East Aurora High School students;
• Helped our guests with four-legged friends: by distributing 10,200 pounds of pet food; Bimonthly Pet Food distributions with our valued partner, Bruno’s Pro-Bone-O Pet Pantry;
• Expanded food delivery to seniors and added three senior housing complexes
• ‘Marie’s Kitchen’ Cooking Series; 16 instructional videos, some filmed at Marie’s Garden kitchen!
• Kept our community and volunteers safe with COVID accommodations including: Drive-thru process; canopies; new awnings; heaters; protected our volunteers with additional PPE, sanitation, and pantry processes.
• Collaborated with the Relief Coalition to assist hospitality workers and service workers suddenly unemployed by serving 8,348 meals to 1,958 families in just three months!
• Joined forces with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the City of Aurora to set up monthly Pop-Up Pantries at Phillips Park;
• Host to Garden Harvest Weekend – COVID safe gatherings of brunch, lunch, and dinner;
• Promotion for both MWFP & local Restaurants in Sept. for ‘Hunger Action Month’;
• Launched our first ‘Fall Fest’ and pumpkin giveaway for our community;
• Thanksgiving collaboration – served 2,700 families- with the City of Aurora and Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry;
• Host to a ‘Day of Gift Giving’ distribution in early December for our guests;
• Increased our capacity to serve with the purchase of a refrigerated food truck and a garage size portable freezer;
• Was a partner with our community to keep Aurora healthy and warm: Supplied Senior Services with nonperishable food items for seniors; VNA partnership with healthy cooking video series; continued health screening with Free flu shots provided by AmitaHealth; Maddie’s Mitten March distributed warm Winter wear seven times during our distributions.
We realize there is more to come, and we are ready to take on 2021!