Two years ago, FISH of Galesburg food pantry moved from a small space at Hawthorne Center on the north side of town to a more centrally located and accessible space at Main and Henderson streets.
“Our little building at Hawthorne was great, but we just needed more area, more space,” said Diane Copeland, president of the non-profit FISH. “And here we're able to give a better food product.”
Through a partnership with the Galesburg Community Foundation, River Bend Food Bank opened a regional hub in the former Rheinschmidt’s Carpet Center at 876 W. Main St., with space for FISH to relocate there and access extensive cooler and storage space.
The goal for FISH was to serve more people in need — and Copeland said that’s exactly what’s happening.
“It's blown up since we moved,” Copeland said. “We were clear out there in the Hawthorne Center where people had to take a couple bus transfers to even get to us. Then after they got close to us, they still had to walk the equivalent of a couple blocks.”
FISH is an emergency food pantry, where people can get a three- to five-day supply of food once every 30 days. In the new location, they’re able to offer more fresh produce, proteins, and dairy products.
Copeland said they served 750 and 800 households each month for most of this year. In October, that went up to 860 households, which includes nearly 2,000 individuals.
“That’s a high number,” Copeland said.
Copeland said clients are asked to show proof of Knox County residency to receive food at FISH, because resources are limited, though there are exceptions.
“If you're unhoused, we will feed you. We're not going to turn anyone away hungry. That’s one thing I could never do,” Copeland said. “If you don't have your ID with you this time, we're not going to turn you away without food, but we would appreciate it if you brought it next time.”
With the increase in demand, the pantry is moving to a scan card system that Copeland said will be more efficient for clients, and help FISH gather better data to advocate for funding food pantries.
“We've just been using an Excel spreadsheet, and then when it comes time for grants, we don't really have all the data that we need,” Copeland said.
FISH clients should expect to spend time on their next visit getting set up in the new scan card system. Copeland said they will also have the option to fill out a questionnaire on what other services they’re receiving.
“By doing the scan cards, it helps us know the needs of those we're serving,” Copeland said. “That would give us an idea of some extra community services we could recommend for them.”
Copeland said the information will be solely used by FISH to better understand who they are serving.
FISH is completely volunteer-run as of now, but Copeland said they are searching for an executive director.
“The FISH of today is definitely different than the FISH of yesterday, so we really do need someone at the helm,” she said. “We’ve just grown so much.”
FISH of Galesburg is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
The organization offers delivery on Thursdays through Thrive Community Services.
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
