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Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry hasn't added a story.
The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry, also known as "The
Miracle on 5th Street", is a non-profit organization that
provides food and non-food products to individuals and families who
are living in poverty. The Pantry serves as a bridge to help
transition those facing hard times until they become self-sufficient.
The goal is to give people hope and to make a difference in their lives.
Several years ago, I was working as an office manager at a
local church. The office was directly across from a strip mall where a
well established Pizza restaurant existed. People started going
through the dumpster behind the restaurant. One morning, a woman going
through the dumpster was looking for food and there were three small
children sitting in the back of her car. It was then that I decided to
do something about the hunger problem in our community. I started by
filling a closet at the church with nutritional food products. That
closet has grown to nearly 20,000 square feet where we house food
products; non-food products like clothes, house wares, pet food,
furniture, appliances, etc. This food pantry has become a resource
center for those facing a difficult time in their lives.
Over 2,000 people are fed each month; a snack program is
provided for children in our County’s grade schools (last year 10,000
snacks were served); as well as delivering food to shut-ins; just to
mention a few programs offered. We have food distribution every
Tuesday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Those in need who come to the BBCFP on these distribution days
express how blessed they are that the pantry is here to help them in
their time of need. Clients are welcome to take nutritional foods such
as fresh produce, meats, frozen goods, canned goods, bread and bakery
items. The pantry also provides, pet food, cat litter, medication,
shampoo, diapers, baby food, baby formula, cleaning products, toilet
paper, clothes, shoes, toys, books, movies, small furniture, school
supplies and so much more. BBCFP provides about $375.00 of nutritional
food each month as well as non-food products to each client served.
It costs nearly $20,000.00 a month to keep the doors open and
keep the food and non-food items coming in so those in need can be
assisted. Donations for The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry are
going to be used to purchase more food. It costs .18 cents for a pound
of food. If you donate $5.00 you are helping us
purchase about 28 pounds of food for those in need!
In 2010, Boone County was placed on the State of Illinois’
Poverty Watch List by the Heartland Alliance’s Mid American Institute
on Poverty in its 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty. As of July, 2013,
the unemployment rate for Boone County was 10.9% as reported by the
Illinois Department of Employment Security; as of March, 2014, the
rate is 12.3% - the highest of all counties in Illinois. We need you
to help this cause! A report from Feeding America, the nation’s
largest nonprofit provider of food assistance to low-income Americans,
finds that one in seven Americans rely on food pantries and meal
service programs to feed themselves and their families. According to
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the people we serve are on the lower
level of the pyramid which include breathing, food, water, shelter,
clothing and sleep. Our agency is the last stop before individuals or
families reach destitution. Any donations are appreciated not only by
us at the pantry but also by every underprivileged family that is
served in Boone County.
In closing, many years ago I was raising two children on my own
without the benefit of child support or community support. There were
no food pantries or places to go for free clothing, school supplies,
or other daily essentials. I truly believe that we go through phases
in our lives that build character, that mold us, and make us who we
are created to be. I found the purpose in my life at the age of 50 and
I have not looked back. Thanks for allowing me to share my purpose, my
vision and my heart with you today.
Thank You SO Much & God Bless.
Respectfully, Linda Clark (Executive Director)
Here are some testimonials from a few clients that say The
Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry has changed their lives.
Gail writes that she was a single mother with six children
trying to make it through each day as best she could. Feeding her
children was always difficult until she started coming to the food
pantry. Her electricity had been turned off because she chose food for
her children instead of paying the utilities. They did not have the
basic daily living necessities or proper clothing. She was overwhelmed
with gratitude for the food, clothing, and daily necessities she
received from The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry. When she left on
the first day, she states she felt so blessed and her children were
thrilled. The food pantry has changed her life in many ways. She no
longer has to worry about how to feed her six children and can pay her
electric bill and her children can attend school without feeling so
embarrassed about the clothes they wear. She also started volunteering
at the food pantry, when she has time, so she can give back to those
who make it possible for her family to have an easier life.
Debra, who writes that she and her husband had both lost their
jobs and lost their house due to foreclosure and mounting debt. Not
knowing where to go when evicted or how to get food to eat, she saw a
brochure for The Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry in an employment
agency and sought out their help with apprehension. They were given
food, clothing and daily needed supplies. She states that, “without
God’s help guiding her to the pantry, she doesn’t know where she would
be today”. Her husband has recently found a job and they are starting
to recover but are grateful to “The Miracle on Fifth Street”, which
she states is the best kept secret in Boone County.
Jay writes that in 2004 she became a victim of breast cancer
and that she and her husband had lost their business due to unforeseen
circumstances. The bank foreclosed on their home, and they had to use
up their entire savings to pay her medical bills. A friend told her
about the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry. She felt ashamed at
first, to go for help. On her first visit, she was treated with
respect and knew that there were people who cared for her and showed
compassion for what she was going through. They gave her hope and the
strength to go on, along with a quantity and good quality of food
products. She has been using the pantry for the last year and half and
hopes for the day when she will be able to stand-alone financially
again. She states that she now has a purpose in life and volunteers at
the pantry who gave her hope as she wants others to feel less burdened
when things go bad in their lives. She considers the food pantry staff
her second family and will always have a deep affection for all of them.
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