Shared Offering For July: Wesley Food Pantry – Not Too Late To Donate!

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From Brian McDermott, Advocate for July’s Shared Offering

Dear Friends and Members,

Thank you for your generosity so far this month on behalf of our shared offering partner, Wesley Food Pantry. With the month wrapping up, please consider donating if you have not done so already, or if you feel it in your heart to increase your generosity.

  • Online Donations
  • Contributions via Give+ Mobile App
  • If you prefer mailing a check, please mail the check to the UUCUC office at 309 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801. While our building is currently closed to the public, our staff continues to process checks via mail on a weekly basis.

The Food Pantry places food directly into the hands of needy people here in Champaign and Urbana and has been looking at ways to expand their reach, particularly in this time of Covid-19. It continues to have its traditional food distributions at Parkland College in Champaign on Wednesdays, and at the Wesley Center in Urbana on Thursday evenings.

They are having the distributions outdoors, but are still maintaining their process of allowing the clients to choose some of their own foods – which many people love, in place of being handed a box or grocery bag with no choice in the contents. (A bit more work for the volunteers as we fulfill individual orders, but the clients appreciate knowing all the food they receive will be put to good use.)

Wesley Pantry delivers food to clients outdoors to promote Social Distancing

The Pantry is also looking at other ways to assist the immigrant community by going to them: recent deliveries were made to a local hotel, where migrant farm workers and their families were staying. The workers were so grateful on receiving their food packages after getting off the bus at the end of a hard day in the fields – to some of them it was almost like receiving Christmas packages in July. There is talk of planning for a Food truck to make deliveries – so they can bring the food to those in need who do not have access to personal or public transportation – or are afraid to use it.

Fresh vegetables are offered every day in the summer from the Wesley garden or from volunteer’s personal gardens. Sylvia and I have been donating bags of purslane from out of our plant beds, including some already potted and ready for a client’s backyard. (One Congolese women’s eyes flew wide when she saw the purslane: “we always cooked with this back home” she exclaimed.)

A view of the Wesley garden

If you have question, feel free to contact me about the Wesley Pantry:  monetary donations can go a long way to helping address food insecurity in Champaign County, particularly as the supplemental food programs that saw a boost this spring now look like they are at risk as part of the political football season that is happening in Congress right now.