By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A fundraising effort is underway to support nine local food pantries as they grapple with an increase in need.
Mayor Tom McNamara and members of the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition on Monday kicked off the public phase of the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign, an annual push to help local pantries provide food and other necessary health items to people in need.
Traffic is up about 40% combined at all nine pantries in the coalition from this point last year, according to Kevin Goodrich, president of the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition. He said the need is about 2.5 times more than what it was two years ago as inflation has pushed costs of food, rent and other necessities higher.
“There are lots of working families that are spending half or more of their incomes on rent, leaving less of their money for their basic needs like utilities, gas, emergencies, personal products and food,” Goodrich said. “People are struggling.”
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An anonymous benefactor has agreed to match local donations up to $15,000. The overall goal is to raise $45,000, which is what it takes the nine pantries to get through one month of services, according to Wally Haas, executive director of Transform Rockford and a member of the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign.
The fundraising effort culminates with a breakfast event Sept. 26 designed to raise money and awareness about the local need.
The coalition is comprised of the Rock River Valley Pantry, Christian Union Pantry, Unity in the Community Lighthouse Pantry, St. Elizabeth Center, Cornucopia Pantry, Salvation Army, Emmanuel Lutheran, God’s Glory Pantry and Soul’s Harbor Pantry.
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McNamara said that at the Rock River Valley Pantry, the largest in the coalition, the number of households served is up 80% from last year through June.
“Those are not just numbers,” he said. “Those are significant increases of our own friends, of our own family, our neighbors, our coworkers, our colleagues.”
How to donate | Mayor’s Hunger Campaign
You can go to greaterrockfordpantrycoalition.com/donate to make a contribution to the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign.
A breakfast fundraiser will be held at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26 at the Indoor Rockford City Market, 116 N. Madison St., Rockford. Tickets for that event will go on sale soon.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas