Grafton Food Pantry Sees Increase in Need

A Zumba party night is just one of the creative ways people support Grafton Food Pantry.

The Zumba party, scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Huntley Park District, 12015 Mill St., is free, but organizers ask for donations to the food pantry or the American Cancer Society.

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All these efforts come at “a particularly advantageous time, because around the holidays everyone is so wonderfully generous; (but) after the holidays all the level of giving drops dramatically,” Grafton Food Pantry Director Harriet Ford said. “However, the demand for food and paper good and personal-care items doesn’t diminish.”

The pantry needs canned vegetables and fruits, canned and boxed meals like soup, pasta, rice, low-sugar cereals, toiletry items like soap, shampoo and deodorant.

Donations can be made at the food pantry, at 12191-B Smith Drive. The Goodwill store, 11900 Kreutzer Road, Huntley, is also a place to drop off donations. A donation of five items or more qualifies people for a chance to enter a raffle and win prizes from local businesses. Items will be collected through March 31.

“There is still a huge need to help families. The number of families is growing and it’s a different demographic,” Ford said. “It’s not the homeless, it’s people who are working but working for less than they were several years ago due to job elimination and changes in the market. They are not able to make ends meet.”