ROCHELLE — Last month in April, the Rochelle Christian Food Pantry served 645 families (2,177 individuals total), which broke a record for the most need the pantry has seen, RCFP Manager TyAnne Unger said. In April 2023 it served 498 families and in April 2022 it served 326 families. 

The RCFP has seen numbers rise in recent years. The food pantry is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 1-3:30 p.m. People can either pick up boxes or come in and do their own shopping. On distribution days, cars are often lined up as early as 9 a.m. and occasionally distribution starts early to serve the large number of people in time. 

“I think the need is going to continue to rise,” Unger said. “The demand is crazy. We allow people to come twice a month and we're continuously having people come in and wanting to come a third time. Our rule is two times, but we'll pack a small emergency box to get them through. I think the economy is the reason so much need is being seen. Everything is so expensive now and prices are only going up. Usually we would get a lot of leftover food or past-date food from the grocery stores. Now they're ordering less food because people are buying less food because they can't afford it. It's just ridiculous. Bread used to be 25 cents and now you're lucky if you can find it for $1.99.”

Unger said that the food pantry now has less selection on what it can order from the food bank that services it. Orders are done twice a month, and the packets containing selection that were once 10-13 pages are now down to four pages. She said that’s due to bigger corporations not donating as much to food banks. 

“I go on the computer and see what they have and what we need and hope that they have it,” Unger said. “Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. We've been really short on canned fruit and juice. Now I'll be getting eight cases of juice to last us four distributions. And our average per day is 71 families. In one day, it's gone.”

Unger has been involved with the Rochelle Christian Food Pantry for around nine years. She called the rise in need over that time “astronomical.” She used to work about 10 hours over two days of the week. She’s now at the pantry each day of the week and on weekends. The RCFP used to average 40 families served per day and 45 was once a “huge day.” Now it has seen as many as 107 families served in one day.

The food pantry still sees local support in the forms of grants, volunteers, personal donations, fundraisers and more. The Rochelle Area Community Foundation and From the Heart provide much support, and the RCFP also receives funding from the Ogle County Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which is funded by the USDA.   

“We just say God provides,” Unger said. “We put out what's here. We've been so blessed. People have been wonderful. The Post Office just had a fundraiser that helped us terrifically and Rochelle Community Hospital had a diaper run for us. We were almost completely out of diapers. We're very blessed. If it weren't for truckers and the grocery stores, we couldn't provide the fresh food. The churches are also a big help to us.”

The RCFP’s biggest current need areas include canned fruit, milk, butter, and personal products (shampoo, body wash, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste). The pantry mostly handles food, but also serves the area’s homeless population and Unger said the top thing that people are giving up to buy food instead is personal products. 

Unger called the high need for food in the community “disheartening,” but said she has faith in the RCFP’s future ability to provide help to the Rochelle area.

“God has provided so much for us,” Unger said. “When I started here, I was told God would provide. And he always does. We aren't here to buy people's groceries. We're here to supplement what they can afford. And a lot of people can't afford right now.”

If you would like to make a donation to the Rochelle Christian Food Pantry or volunteer, contact the food pantry at 815-562-6654 or rochellefoodpantry@gmail.com.