All volunteers at Morrison Charitable Food Pantry NFP want to send a heartfelt “Thank You” for your support in 2025. We sent out an appeal for help in October, to help cover extra expenses due to the increase in the number of new clients we were seeing, (partially due to SNAP being disrupted and the Government shutdown), and the increase in the cost of food. You responded. We are proud to live in a community that is so generous and willing to help their neighbors.
I especially acknowledge some of our younger community members, who had food drives and personal care items for our pantry. Seeing our youths take an active role, at a young age, is encouraging and uplifting, knowing they care about the residents in their community.
♥ Southside Elementary Kindness Club collected 321 lbs. of food.
♥ Student Council had a “fill the bus” drive with a total of 1500 lbs. of food and personal care items.
♥ The Cub Scout Pack donates personal care items to us each month.
♥ Odell Library collected 260 lbs. from the community.
♥ Organizations and citizens brought food, personal care items, cash, and checks.
♥ Our Turkey Trot Fun Run/Walk was cancelled, due to weather, but we received $1800 in donations, with more coming–due to ongoing t-shirt sales.
We still have a good selection of the Turkey Trot t-shirts for sale at $20 each, or two for $30. All the monies from t-shirt sales go to the Pantry. Please contact Leveda at 779-441-2733 and leave a message, or email at morrisonfoodpantry@gmail.com, to arrange for the purchase and pick up of these shirts.
I want to acknowledge some long-time organizations that have supported us through the years. •Lions Club and •Church of St. Anne-Episcopal donate personal care items. •Sullivan’s Foods, donates each week which– really adds to the items we can distribute. •Rotary Club comes the first Wednesday of each month to help unload our order from River Bend Food Bank, and for their monetary donation last year. •Kunes Auto Group, donates skids of food items to various food pantries each year. That donation boosts the pantries’ food inventories and helps lower their food costs.
Thanks also to the people who donated eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, hamburger meat, hams, and turkeys, sour dough bread, and personal care items–all of which are greatly appreciated by our clients. You all are truly an awesome group of people! Thanks to community members who bought a Christmas Bag at Sullivan’s Foods; the food bought weighted 755 lbs.
When I compared our distribution statistics between the end of 2022 (our first year as a stand-alone 501(c)3 entity) and the end of 2025, it showed that we had a 43 percent increase in the total number of families we served, and a 46 percent increase in the total number of people within those families. In 2025 we served a total of 806 families and 2,353 people within those families.
People will ask us what works better, cash or food items, we answer whatever you wish to donate. Cash allows us to purchase the food items that we are low on, at a reduced price, through both River Bend Food Bank and Sauk Valley Food Bank. Food donations cut down on the items that we need to purchase. All donations are gratefully received, and all stay in Morrison. We now have a donation box next to our northeast door for non-perishable items.
We do not receive any tax monies from the City, County, State or Federal government. We are totally reliant on public donations to operate our pantry. Being a 501(c)3 charitable organization, donations to us generally are tax deductible. Please check with your tax accountant, your IRAs, retirement accounts ,etc. about how to donate to the pantry to claim a tax deduction. We will gladly issue a receipt for your donations; please ask us for one.
Our website address is morrisonfoodpantry.org, which has information on the pantry, our registration form, income guidelines, etc. Our email address is morrisonfoodpantry@gmail.com, and our phone number is 815-441-2733. Our Post Office box number is P.O. Box 324 for those who wish to mail donations to us. (We do not have a mailbox at the pantry building.)
On Wednesdays there is, generally, someone at the pantry between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m., if you wish to drop off items. We are open every non-holiday Thursdays from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., for food distribution to those residing in the Morrison School District area. In case of inclement weather, we will be closed if the Morrison School District cancels school for the day, and will reopen the following Thursday.
Thank you, Morrison, for your continued support. It is needed now more than ever!
Sincerely,
Leveda Ashlin, President
Volunteers of Morrison Charitable Food Pantry NFP