Local Food Pantries Seeking Donations

The Lemont Food Pantries are in need of items to fill their shelves to provide help to local families in need – whether it’s due to a job loss, medical expenses – or simply living paycheck to paycheck.

According to Terri O’Neill Borders, who works for Lemont Township and is the organizer of the Hope and Friendship Foundation, Lemont’s food pantries provide relief for families in the form of bag(s) of food and a voucher to Chipain’s Fresh Market  for meat and dairy products.

“This small relief enables households to not have to choose between the cost of groceries or paying a bill or buying the items that are necessary, (such as) personal care items, gas for the car, medicine kids’ needs etc.” O’Neill-Borders said. “Your generosity provides great financial relief to a very financially strained home.”

Community members can donate items in bins located at Chipains, Starbucks Lemont, the lobby of the Lemont Police Department, US Bank, and the lobby of the Lemont Township office.

Here is a list of suggested items for donation:

• Boxed meals, such as Hamburger Helper, pasta meals and other all-in-one-box meals
• Canned spaghetti, Spaghettios, Ravioli etc., and other canned meals
• Canned meats, such as chicken, Vienna wieners and other meat that can be added to pasta or a boxed meal
• Fast convenient foods that need little added to become a meal, such as microwave dishes, pasta, rice and other ready-to-eat items
• Name-brand cereals
• Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce
• Cake, brownie and cookie mixes, frosting
• Sugar, brown sugar, flour and other baking supplies
• Canned or jarred fruit; boxes of raisins, cranberries or dried fruit
• Snack cups, such as Jello, pudding and applesauce
• Snack bars, such as granola, breakfast bars; grab-and-eat individual snacks
• Microwave popcorn
• Tea bags and coffee
• Salad dressing, condiments and spices
• Peanut butter, jelly, Marshmallow Fluff
• Jars of cheese, salsa, spreads or Velveeta
• Laundry detergent
• Toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, napkins, personal care items
• Cleaning items
• Baby food, formula, wipes and diapers
• Bottled water
• Pet food

Financial contributions can also be made, to be used to purchase food vouchers. Checks should be made payable to Lemont Food Pantry.

According to O’Neill-Borders, the following items are not needed at this time because the pantry is well-stocked with a surplus of them: canned vegetables, canned cream soup, Mac and cheese boxed mix, tuna fish, corn flakes and pork and beans.

For more information, email hopeandfriendship@comcast.net.

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