Food Banks — Greater Joliet Area YMCA

September is National Hunger Action Month and the C.W. Avery Family YMCA is excited to work with the Plainfield Park District, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield School District 202, and Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents, organizations, and local businesses to help support local food pantries in the Village of Plainfield.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pantries have seen an increase in requests for service. Residents can help by donating online or by dropping off nonperishable donations at one of the local pantries listed below:

Bags of Hope, a private backpack food program, serves Plainfield School District 202 and welcomes both monetary and nonperishable donations. To donate online or for a list of locations that accept donations, visit boh2016.org.On Saturday, September 19, from 9-11 a.m., the Plainfield Park District will hold a drive-through collection event for Bags of Hope at the Prairie Activity & Recreation Center (PARC), 24550 W. Renwick Road. For more information, visit www.plfdparks.org.
Green Harvest Food Pantry also welcomes monetary and nonperishable donations. To donate online, visit greenharvest.org or drop off donations at 25448 W. Ruff Street, Plainfield.
Plainfield Area Interfaith Food Pantry – Donate online at plainfieldfoodpantry.org or drop off nonperishables at Plainfield Township, 22525 W. Lockport Street, or the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce, 24109 W. Lockport Street.
To donate online to St. John Lutheran Church Food Pantry, visit stjohnfood.org.

Please join us in helping those in need!

Food Distribution at YMCA Facilities

The Greater Joliet Area YMCA is teaming up with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to host weekly food distribution events at the Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs in Joliet. As part of the weekly events, families may receive up to 3 breakfast and lunch meals for children 18 and younger. Meals will be loaded directly into participants’ car trunks. Please adhere to social distancing guidelines. Meals will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. No ID is necessary.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with family, friends, and neighbors in need.

Monday June 1
Monday, June 8
Monday, June 15
10 a.m.-Noon

Galowich Family YMCA
749 Houbolt Road
Joliet, IL 60431

Smith Family YMCA
1350 S. Briggs Street
Joliet, IL 60433

The Rx Mobile Food Pantry will also be on-site at the Smith Family YMCA from 10-11:30 a.m. on the following dates:

Thursday, June 4
Thursday, June 18

Joliet Public Schools District 86

Joliet Public Schools District 86 will provide FREE Grab and Go Meals to any child under the age of 18 years old. The meals will be available for curbside pick-up at District 86 Junior High Schools for all District 86 Students from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Children are encouraged to be in the car when picking up the meals.

-Dirksen (Midland Avenue side parking lot-horseshoe, Door #18)
-Gompers (Briggs Street parking lot, Door #27)
-Hufford (Ingalls Avenue parking lot, Door #26)
-Washington (Richards Street parking lot, Door #24

Joliet Township High School will have daily breakfast and lunch pickups at both Joliet Central and Joliet West for any child 18 years old and younger during the school closure. Students can pick up the current day’s lunch as well as the next day’s breakfast. Friday, April 10 is a school holiday, so meal service will not be provided.

-At Joliet Central, distribution will be outside the main entrance from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
–At Joliet West, distribution will be outside Door #6 (near the cafeteria) from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Plainfield School District 202

All four high schools will remain open to serve FREE meals to ANYONE 18 years or younger regardless of current meal status.

• Meal service times 9-11 a.m.

• Service days are ONLY WEDNESDAY

Anyone 18 years or younger will receive FREE MEALS: 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches @ one time-fresh/frozen meals with instructions.

If you are not able to pick up a meal, please call (815) 577-4046.

Meals can be picked up at your corresponding home high school. Please enter through the assigned door.

Families should pick up meals at the locations below based on student’s home school:

Plainfield South High School 7800 W Caton Farm Road, Plainfield (Door N)
-Ridge Elementary, Charles Reed Elementary, Meadow View Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary Aux Sable Middle School, Drauden Point Middle School

Plainfield North High School 12005 S 248th Street, Plainfield (Door N)
-Freedom Elementary, Eagle Pointe Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Walker’s Grove Elementary, Heritage Grove Middle School, Ira Jones Middle School

Plainfield Central High School 24120 W Fort Beggs Drive, Plainfield (Door A)
-Central Elementary, Riverview Elementary, Wesmere Elementary, Grand Prairie Elementary, Crystal Lawns Elementary, Creekside Elementary, Timber Ridge Middle School, Indian Trail Middle School,Plainfield Academy, Bonnie McBeth Learning Center and Ina Brixey Learning Center

Plainfield East High School 12001 S. Naperville Road, Plainfield (Door N)
-Eichelberger Elementary, Liberty Elementary, Creekside Elementary, and Lakewood Falls Elementary, John F. Kennedy Middle School

Call (815) 577-4046 if you cannot pick up a meal.

Morris School District 54

Free lunches will be provided for ALL children in Morris (18 years of age and under). If you would like to receive a lunch for your kids, please fill out this form. YOU MUST FILL OUT THE FORM SEPARATELY FOR EACH CHILD YOU ARE REQUESTING A LUNCH. If you cannot fill out the form for any reason, you may call the office at (815) 942-0056 to place your order. All orders need to be in by 10 am in order to be ready for that day’s pick-up. You may order for multiple days on the form or on your phone call.

The free lunch pick-up provided by District 54 will continue March 31 and beyond. Lunch Pick-Up will be each day from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at Morris Grade School. Please come to Door 24 to pick-up the lunch. If you have any questions or additional needs, please contact your school administrator.

Fairmont School District 89

Fairmont School will be delivering breakfast and lunch on Monday and Thursday to the following locations:

-Fairmont School Parking Lot – 1:00 p.m.
-Corner of Princeton Ave. & Green Garden – 12:40 p.m.
-Church parking lot at Corner of Bruce & Green Garden – 1:20 p.m.
-Mt. Ebel Church Parking Lot – 1:30 p.m.

Elwood School District 203

Joliet Township High School has offered to serve the Elwood School students a free daily grab and go lunch during the mandated closure.

Lunches are available at:
– Joliet Central High School outside the main entrance from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
-Joliet West High School outside door #6 (near the cafeteria) from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Rockdale School District 84

Rockdale School District 84 is planning to provide meals for any child 18 years old and younger during the school closure. Students will pick up both a breakfast and a lunch at the same time between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Both meals will be picked up at the same time each day on Connell Avenue at the crosswalk. Parents and students are encouraged to turn from Meadow Avenue and proceed north on Connell Avenue up to the crosswalk where staff will be waiting to hand both meals to parents or students.

Laraway School District 70-C

Food Pickup: Family packs will be available for pick up at Laraway School, not Oak Valley, on each Tuesday during the closure. Pick up will be from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Families should check the Laraway website www.laraway70c.org for changes or updates.

Minooka School District 111

Lunches for MCHS free and reduced students will be available for pickup on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., each week, through Thursday, April 30th.

The pickup location will be the front of South Campus at the main entrance, 26655 W. Eames Street, Channahon, Illinois 60410 in the front of the building.

*Due to the Easter Holiday, lunches for MCHS free and reduced students will be available for pickup on Tuesday (4/14) and Thursday (4/16) from 9 am to 11 am next week. The pickup location will be the front of South Campus at the main entrance. After next week the pickup will return to the original schedule.

Union School District 81

Effective March 30th, any family who has children 18 and under can pick up breakfast or lunch from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Union School Door F. This is for any families who do not have children attending Union School. Union School families will continue to have their food delivered.

Troy School District 30-C

Troy CCSD 30-C food service is open to all Troy community children under the age of 18 and will return on Tuesday, April 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the locations listed below:

–Craughwell Door #4 (front of building)
-Heritage Trail Door #5 (east side of building)
-TMS Door #3 (front of building)

Joliet Public School District #86 has graciously offered to assist in serving food to families this week. District #86 provides food serve from each of its four junior highs on Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to Noon.

Local Food Pantries

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The USDA  launched a new online tool – the “Meals for Kids” Site Finder – to help families find meals for children while schools are closed during the coronavirus pandemic. The “Meals for Kids” interactive map directs people to local sites where kids can get free meals. The map is available in both English and Spanish at www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids. 

Food Finder and  Nutrislice  have both developed solutions to increase nationwide access to these critical free meals. Food Finder will display USDA’s Meals for Kids locations on their web and mobile app, while Nutrislice is offering their mobile ordering and meal locator solutions for free to hundreds of schools nationwide.   

The USDA National Hunger Hotline is also available for anyone seeking food assistance. The hotline, operated by Hunger Free America, can be reached Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) or 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) (for Spanish).