New Location Means Lots to do for Grafton Food Pantry

Grafton Food Pantry board member Harriet Ford has had a busy few months and it’s about to get even more hectic.

In August, the food pantry was notified that the building it currently leases in a Huntley was sold and it would have to move. The pantry spent the last few months searching for a new location. A deal came through over the weekend.

Grafton Food Pantry’s new address will be 11481 Allison Court, Huntley. The phone number is 847-495-0922.

“We’ve been looking for a couple of months, it finally happened,” Ford said. “Now we’ve got a lot to do in a short period of time.”

The pantry hopes to be in its new location by mid-November. Right now, “we are in the cleaning and planning stage,” she said.

“We are just so excited about the fact we get to move,” Ford said. “We will have more room to have people shop.”

Grafton Food Pantry is also looking forward to working with Faith Community Church, whose food pantry is merging with Grafton. The merger “is a real plus, they share our mission and our ideas…we are looking forward to working with them,” Ford said.

Clients from Food Community Church will now go to Grafton Food Pantry, she said. And food donations collected from the church will go to the Grafton Food Pantry, she said.

Grafton Food Pantry relies on donations to run and it has a wish list of items it needs for the new location. The pantry is continuing to serve clients while coordinating the move, she said.

“We are seeing a little over 200 families a month,” Ford said. One day last week, the pantry had 23 families in need of food, she said.

October starts the pantry’s busy season, she said.

The pantry’s wish list includes:

•     15 Waiting room chairs-ideally with arms/padded
•     8 padded folding chairs
•     4-6 6/8 foot tables folding tables
•     2 Industrial ceiling fans
•     4-6 Large Bulletin boards
•     1 dry/erase board
•     Vacuum Cleaner
•     2 wireless doorbells
•     4 interior lock sets (lever /not knob)
•     2 collapsible coat racks
•     Large Utility mop, push brooms, cleaning supplies
•     Programmable thermostat for warehouse (it is probably a special type)/installation
•     11 foot rolling stairs
•     New toilet
•     Window treatments for four windows
•     Vanity, sink, counter

Grafton Food Pantry is supported solely by donations. For further information, to volunteer or make a donation, visit the pantry’s website.