Food Pantry

The Food Pantry is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. till Noon. The Food Pantry is located on the East side of the Parish Office building. Food donations of non-perishable items may be left at any time in the donation carts adjacent to the Office and the Food Pantry doors. We are also glad to accept donations of fresh, frozen and/or refrigerated items during Food Pantry business hours. Please do not leave perishable food in the donation bins.

MONETARY DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. Please click here if you would like to donate online (via our parish dontations account at givecentral.org). These donations are used to purchase food at reduced prices from the Northern Illinois Food Bank. We also use the funds to shop at local grocery stores when necessary.

To ensure the privacy of our clients, we only require a first and last name, as well as phone number to register for services. A family may receive a packed box once every 30 days. We ask that our families call ahead on the day they want to pick up a box. The Food Pantry phone number is (847) 244-6661.

Each week our volunteers pack boxes of food that are distributed to families in need. Our goal is to provide enough food to support a family of four for four days. All donated items are distributed to our families.

The following items are staples—hot or cold cereal, pancake mix and syrup, canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter and jelly, Spaghetti sauce and pasta, canned veggies, fruit and soup. Boxes also include corn bread mix, canned meals like Chef Boyardee and Campbells spaghetti or ravioli, beverages like juices, tea, water, cocoa or coffee, cake mix/Brownie mix, gelatin desserts or pudding, instant potatoes, rice, Hamburger Helper, or Mac and Cheese.

Understanding how the Food Pantry works may help you when purchasing items for donation.  Our families do not “shop” in the pantry to select items. The pantry staff prepacks boxes which are distributed on a “first come/first serve” basis. We do not pack customized boxes for each family. This means that a family of six may get small cans of veggies or a small jar of peanut butter while a family of one may get that giant jar of peanut butter or spaghetti sauce.

A good rule of thumb to follow when donating is that average sized containers of all items are the best choice. Like Goldilocks learned at the three bears house, some items are TOO BIG and some items are TOO SMALL. Selecting items that are JUST RIGHT should be your goal!

If you have questions or are interested in joining our volunteer staff, please contact us through our email address FoodPantry@stpatrickwadsworth.org . Questions about volunteering may be directed to Patrick and Nancy Hart. If you have questions about Food donations, please contact Barb Yells (reach them at the food pantry number 847-244-6661).

We can always use:

Non-perishibles:
toilet paper,
hand soap,
shampoo,
toothpaste and toothbrushes,
dish soap and laundry detergent.  

Food Items:
Baked Beans, Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, peanut butter and jelly, as well boxed dinners like Hamburger Helper, or canned tuna or chicken are always needed. Also some of the “nice to have” items for the pantry are Jell-O, instant pudding, cake mixes and condiments like ketchup, mustard and salad dressings. Please remember our clients next time you are grocery shopping!

Patrick and Nancy Hart
FoodPantry@stpatrickwadsworth.org

Updated 3/6/24