Outside a warehouse on Seminary and Third streets in Galesburg, community members line up in cars, waiting for their share of 275 free boxes of food.
This is the second month for Hope Initiative’s food distribution program.
A team of 93 volunteers ix distributing free boxes of food to community members in need every third Thursday of the month from 5 to 7 p.m.
“There’s no registration, we don’t have to know your name. You don’t have to qualify. They’ll pop that trunk, we’ll put the box in and let them drive away,” said Jeff Morrow, director of Hope Initiative and pastor at Calvary Assembly Church.
The warehouse is next to the former Rescue Mission. The building is owned by Graham Health System, which intends to use part of it for a new primary care clinic on the city’s south side.
Graham lets Hope Initiative use the rest of the space at no cost and pays for the utilities.
Calvary Assembly Church runs the initiative with the support of Convoy of Hope, an international humanitarian organization. The church has worked previously with Convoy of Hope on mission trips to rural Illinois.
“We are the second church in the nation to be a part of this pilot program they have called Community Care,” said Hope Initiative Coordinator Vanessa Rekash. “We provide the warehouse and they come fill it up each month for free.”
Other non-profits in Galesburg can also benefit from this program.
They can sign up to be partners with Hope Initiative and receive some of the resources to help spread them further into the community.
Hope Initiative currently has 32 partner agencies in Galesburg.
Volunteers gathered to celebrate a ribbon-cutting for the new Hope Initiative distribution center last week.
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