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Reverend Gary Wright and Aidan Pasmore shared a wonderful presentation about how the food pantry came to life for the church.  It started with the Reverend's vision of doing more to serve out into the community.  Aidan analyzed the area surrounding the church and found that the closest pantries are several miles away.  They actually sit within a food desert.  The closest grocery stores are East Moline and LeClaire.  Aidan shared photos of the church property, highlighting a great space to start a garden for fresh vegetables to supplement the pantry. They plan to add refrigeration at some point in the future.

Photos of the indoor space include shelving ready to be filled.  Office Machine Consultants purchased heavy duty shelving that will be able to support 1,000 pounds of product each.  Sadly, Aidan spent an hour and a half on each shelf putting them together. He's persistent and dedicated.

  They discovered that growth and expansion must come with time and experience.  Food warehouses, such as Riverbend Food Bank, require they have at least six months of experience and can stand on their own before they will supply the pantry.  Other pantries have been a great resource for information for Aidan.  He's consulted with Geneseo/Atkinson food pantry, Port Byron Messiah Lutheran, Durant Iowa, and St. John's in East Moline.

The next step is collecting food to fill the shelves.  We presented Aidan and Reverend with a check for $400 from our community grant program to help in purchases they need.  A bake sale is planned for Saturday, April 25th from 1-5pm.  The church is located at 17628 Hubbard RD, East Moline IL 61244.  There will be a raffle and silent auction.  You can earn a raffle ticket by providing canned goods or shelve-stable food items.  

Aidan and his friend, John, have done an incredible job with this project.  An act of a true Rotarian! Please think about them on your future grocery store visits.