The Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet will be moving to a temporary location in response to the City of Batavia's upgrade of its Wastewater Treatment Plant. This move comes as the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet prepare for a transition to a larger and more suitable permanent location, supported by a $3 million grant secured with the assistance of Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.
The new site at 431 N. Raddant Road, offers the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet uninterrupted assistance to the community while the search for a permanent location continues. The new location features approximately 8,500 square feet, which includes office and storage space, electrical upgrades to accommodate refrigeration, and dock doors for delivery.
Operation times for the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet will remain the same, with hours at the new location beginning 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3. Food Pantry and Clothes Closet board members, staff, and a roster of volunteers are assisting in moving the contents of their existing 4,000 square-foot building at 100 Flinn Street.
“The Food Pantry and Clothes Closet already rely heavily on volunteers for much of our day-to-day operations, but the outpouring of help and support from the community for our upcoming move has been so heartwarming. Many local organizations and individuals have reached out to ask how they can assist with the move; we are so fortunate to serve in this incredibly generous community,” said Eileen Pasero, executive director of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet.
Founded by area churches in 1981 during an economic downturn, the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry has been serving Batavia families for the past 43 years. In the 1990s, the Clothes Closet was added to the Food Pantry's services. For more than three decades, they have operated at 100 Flinn Street, a building provided by the City of Batavia. However, the building's size has become inadequate for their growing operations, prompting the need for relocation.
The Board of Directors, in collaboration with the City of Batavia, has been searching for a new building for years. In January, thanks to Underwood's support, the City secured a $3 million grant specifically to relocate the Food Pantry and Clothes Closet to a more suitable and spacious location. While this project is underway, the Pantry must vacate their current location due to the Wastewater Treatment Plant's $33 million upgrade, which necessitates the demolition of their existing building.
“We have secured this temporary location to ensure no disruption of the vital services that the food pantry and clothes closet provide to the members of our community while we search for their forever home,” said Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman.
The Food Pantry and Clothes Closet will continue to provide all the existing services to community members. The Food Pantry and Clothes Closet at a glance:
- Over 700 Batavia families registered to use the Pantry/Closet
- Serving over 1,200 individuals (325 families) each month; 35% of those are children and 12% are seniors
- Part of the Northern Illinois Food Bank Cooperative; able to order food at a greatly reduced rate - $1=$8 worth of food
- Majority of food comes from food rescue, with Food Pantry vans visiting partner grocery stores four times per week
- Received 350,000 pounds of food from the food rescue program and 100,000 pounds of food from community donations or food drives last year
- Relies on 11,000 volunteer hours per year, in addition to one full-time and four part-time staff members
Interested volunteers and donors are encouraged to visit Bataviafoodpantry.org for a list of needs.