By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
Residents may notice a large bright and shiny red van in the area and wonder who owns the vehicle. The Geneseo-Atkinson Food Pantry (GAFP) is the new owner of the 1999 Ford van, a gift from the congregation at Grace United Methodist Church in Geneseo…And a welcome gift, according to Mike Sigwalt, director of the food pantry.
Sigwalt shared that the pantry has been realizing a steady increase in the number of families served, since he became director in 2021.
“Looking at our last fiscal year, October 2023 through September 2024, and comparing that to the prior fiscal year, we had experienced an average increase of 57 percent in the number of families served,” he said. “By the end of Sept. 2024, we had set a new record of 278 families served.”
Mike Sigwalt, director of the Geneseo-Atkinson Food Pantry, explained the above chart: “When we implemented our ‘open geography’ we monitored where our pantry were coming form so we could gauge the impact of this decision,” he added. “The chart shows where the pantry guests are coming from.”
When Sigwalt began his position at the food pantry in August of 2021, there were 47 families served, in comparison to the 387 families served in November of 2024, which is a record month so far.
And the number of families served by the local food pantry has continued to increase, Sigwalt said….”So far this fiscal year, October through December 2024, we have served an average of 350 families per month, which is a 64 percent increase in the number of families served over the same period in the prior fiscal year.”
GAFP has actively worked with area retailers to “rescue food” for use in the food pantry and Sigwalt explained, “With the increase in the number of families we serve, we have increased the number of retailers we work with to ‘rescue food. We have been modestly successful in expanding the amount of food we’ve rescued from retailers. We had been averaging rescuing about 3,300 pounds of food each month. The increase in the retailers we work with has resulted in an average increase in the amount of food rescued.”
In December of 2024, the local pantry rescued 8,200 pounds (four tons) of food and Sigwalt said that large of volume is not anticipated each month, “but we are expecting to recover about 5,000 pounds of food each month.”
“As the family volumes have increased, the amount of food we need to secure has also increased,” he added, explaining that in the past the food pantry staff has used their personal vehicles for the food rescue, but those vehicles are increasingly becoming too small for the amount of food needed to secure.
“In addition to food rescue, we also go to the area food banks to pick up food and the amount we order is frequently limited by the amount we are able to carry,” he said. “Having the new van will help us in our continual quest to obtain sufficient food for our pantry guests.”
In expressing his thanks for the church donating the van to the food pantry, Sigwalt said, “Grace United Methodist Church’s generosity is really greatly appreciated! For in-town food acquisitions, it has not been uncommon for us to have to make more than one trip to secure all the food. Additionally, as we’ve expanded our search for additional food retailers to work with, we have several which are located out side of Geneseo, and it wouldn’t be practical to make more than one trip to these locations. And we’ll be able to order more through our food banks.”
DOES THE FOOD PANTRY SERVE MORE THAN ATKINSON AND GENESEO?
The Geneseo-Atkinson Food Pantry has long been required to serve families outside of the immediate area, Sigwalt said, and explained, “A particular grantor we work with requires us to serve every person who comes to the food pantry, regardless of where they reside. We have always strived to create a welcoming environment at GAFP…Hunger does not recognize geography, neither should we.”
“We have helped people obtain food who happened to hit hard times at ‘Exit 19 on I-80’ as they traveled from Utah to New York. We have served countless homeless people. We have helped a number of people who are in need of assistance simply because it’s the compassionate thing to do.”
The pantry director added that a number of the grantors and government agencies the GAFP works with increasingly requires them to serve everyone who comes to the local pantry doors seeking assistance…;”More specifically, there are some rules from River Bend Food Bank which would seem to imply we should accept all who come to our doors.”
As of Jan. 1, the Illinois Department of Human Services has mandated that the food pantry: “no longer collect a photo identification card, a piece of mail, residency documentation, or any other such similar documents for The Emergency Food Assistance Program eligibility.”
Sigwalt said he is aware of rumors on social media and other channels that suggest the GAFP is serving more people outside of the immediate are that they are serving families living within the Geneseo School District…”The rumor is based on concerns regarding our lifting geographic restrictions for people receiving food and clothing from GAFP,” he explained. “It is true, we have lifted geographic restrictions. This was done primarily for a grantor requiring we do not turn anyone away who requires food from our pantry. Since we had been serving the homeless and transient people requiring assistance, requiring a specified geographic service area for food distribution seemed superfluous and the process ran contrary to many of our agreements with our upstream partner agencies.” (See chart).
“The blue and orange show the GAFP families served, respectively,” he said. “As the chart shows, about 79 percent of the families served are from Geneseo and Atkinson. Significantly, the data demonstrates we have not been ‘neglecting’ Geneseo or Atkinson families as seems to have been recently rumored. In fact, the number of Geneseo and Atkinson families we serve has continued to increase.”
“One side benefit has emerged by tracking the demographics of our pantry visitors,” he added. “We have been able to identify the ‘food deserts’ existing in the area and we have been working with River Bend Food Bank, the University of Illinois Extension, and other area agencies to develop potential solutions for these’ food deserts’.”
(“Food deserts” are communities lacking grocery stores and also lack a food pantry serving their community).
Sigwalt provided examples: “We do not want families to travel excessive miles for pantry food, and through our collaborative efforts with our agency partners, we may be able to finally address some of the underlying catalysts for area food-insecurity.”
