Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry

The purpose of the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry is for the charitable distribution of food for the relief of hunger to our neighbors in need residing in the communities surrounding us, including Elmhurst, Addison, Bensenville, Berkeley, Hillside, Lombard, Oak Brook and Villa Park. The Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP) was started in 1983 by concerned people at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church who saw a need to help hungry people in their own backyard. It started in a walk-in closet at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church as an infrequently used resource serving approximately 25 people each week at that time. It has grown continuously, moving to the basement of the "cottage" facility at 1083 S. York Road in 1998. In 2012, the organization moved to re-incorporate as an independent not-for-profit in the State of Illinois. In February, 2014, 501(c) (3) status through the IRS was granted. This will enable the EYFP to better serve more clients through a vision of a new facility with the ability to increase the efficiency of service to our clients, to respect client dignity, to become a more ecumenical organization and to recognize our service to multiple communities. The Pantry now distributes food to clients three days a week during four shifts, 52 weeks a year. Families can shop for food from the Pantry as often as monthly in a "client choice" model. Our clients range from those who have recently lost their jobs, those who are chronically unemployed, those who are underemployed and elderly retirees living exclusively on modest Social Security checks or other fixed income. During the fiscal year 2013, the EYFP served client families 3,833 times, averaging over 300 families per month. Of these, 465 families were new users of the food pantry, indicating the continuing and increasing need for our services. In its effort to provide hunger relief, the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry provides nutritious groceries, produce, meat, dairy and non-perishable products to local families. The Pantry currently distributes over 250,000 pounds of food each year to clients. During the fiscal year 2013, 6995 hours of volunteered labor were accrued to help feed our hungry neighbors. This represents an increase of 1921 hours of volunteer service over fiscal year 2012. The value of that donated labor during fiscal year 2013 was almost $60,000 at minimum wage, and that does not include volunteer leadership time for the Board of Directors. There is no paid staff at the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry. There is a volunteer board of directors, which meets at least monthly, composed of two co-directors, a secretary, a treasurer and three members at large. Members represent the Yorkfield Presbyterian Church community and the greater Elmhurst ecumenical community. These leaders also run all operations of the EYFP, including volunteer coordination, food drive coordination, sorting/date checking/stocking of food after food drives and food recovery, community outreach, etc. Pantry partnerships with other local agencies are strong and growing. The Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry is grateful for a robust volunteer cadre from the local communities. We are also indebted to many volunteer fiscal and food drive efforts.