Subscribe by RSS
First BPD Mobile Food Pantry of 2023 a success
ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Police officers and volunteers work together to bag the food for distribution.
The first mobile food pantry held by the Belvidere Police Dept. in 2023 had enough food for 250 families. It was scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 11, at 4 p.m. Volunteers from Empower Boone came to assist the police with the event. VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) waited near Fairgrounds Road to direct traffic into the grounds of the Belvidere Township Building.
Cars were lining up well in advance to make sure they received food. Volunteers were busy sorting the food received from the Northern Illinois Food Bank by 3 p.m. and tables were piled high. The team was ready with two minutes to spare. The cars began to crawl forward on each side of the tables with their trunks and hatches open.
Drivers informed the police how many families they were collecting for and received the proper amount of food designated per family. Each family/household received three boxes – meat, dairy and fresh vegetables and fruit. Many vehicles were collecting for two or more households.
With all the willing help, traffic was kept flowing with produce, dry food, cheese curds, and frozen food being efficiently placed within the vehicles and sent on their way. More volunteers removed the, now empty, plastic wrap and boxes for recycling.
“Due to the generosity of the community,” said Deputy Chief Matt Wallace, “The Belvidere Police Department will be able to provide three mobile food pantries this year with enough food to feed over 250 families each time. We know there is a huge need this year. We are able to sponsor several pop-up food pantries to help alleviate, at least in some small way, some of the hard-ships. Our next pop-up food pantry will be scheduled in May.”
Brenda Valadez, executive director for Empower Boone, attended the event and assisted with the distribution.
“It is good that we cooperate with the local community organizations,” she said. “Especially the police. We have volunteers here to serve the community. If you even need a little help and still feel guilty about coming to Empower Boone to get assistance for food, clothing, or anything – you can al-ways donate or volunteer with us. It is important that the community cooperates with us so we can feed them and help them.”
Empower Boone is about neighbors helping neighbors find their way back to self-sustainability through food, clothing, personal care items, and community outreach in a discreet, loving, and non-judgmental environment. They also have “Blessing Boxes” throughout the area to help people who have not sought any help but still need a bit of assistance.
Blessing Boxes should hold dry foods and personal hygiene items only. Soups, meats, and wet items have to contend with temperature changes in the weather and will freeze in frigid weather or spoil in the heat. If you decide to leave an item in a Blessing Box, please keep the weather in mind and only leave dry items that will not mind the weather temperatures.
During these lean times, it is heart-warming to find the Belvidere Police Department and other organizations going above and beyond to help the community.
