Wintery & Wonderful Mobile Food Pantry

Tomorrow at First Church of God (1080 Harrison Street) will be our Mobile Food Pantry. 

This Mobile Food Pantry is sponsored by First Midwest Charitable Foundation, River Bend Food Bank, FISH, Knox County Pork Producers, WoodForest Bank & First Church of God Volunteers.

Registration: 10:15-11:00AM
Distribution: 11:30AM

We are in need of Volunteers! Show up at First Church of God at 10:00AM. We are always incredibly thankful and appreciate anyone willing to donate their time!

First FISH in November!

It's November 1st!
And we had quite the morning here at the Pantry!

At 10AM our doors were opened and our volunteers happily waited for clients to arrive. The talk of the town was the bareness of our shelves. With the shift in weather and reduction of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), FISH is helping more and more clients. We're in need of some canned fruits and veggies, spaghetti noodles, and soup. But we're thankful for any and all donations!
We're also in need of some volunteers! Interested in Volunteering? Call FISH between 10AM-3PM Monda-Friday (309-343-7807).

A incredibly BIG thank you to Weight Watchers Galesburg who collected food for FISH today. While our shelves were somewhat bare in the early morning, by late afternoon we had boxes and boxes to unpack!

In other FISH news... we have big events coming up!

Galesburg Radio 14 WGIL is having a food drive November 16th and December 14th.

Our Mobile Food Pantry will be held on Saturday, December 7th at First Church Of God.

Knox College v. Monmouth Football Game will support "We Can" a food drive benefiting KPCK, FISH, and Blessings in A Backpack on November 16th at 1:00PM at the Knosher Bowl. So bring a can of food and watch some football!

Lastly, here's some pictures from FISH today: 

The shelves at FISH restocked from the Weight Watchers food collection.

A lovely and positive message on a box at the pantry. 

FISHing on Friday: APPLES!

This week, FISH was in contact with local farmer Perry McFarland about potentially picking apples. With the help of KnoxCorp Associate Bridget Doherty and Knox College's Blessings in A Backpack, hundreds of apples were collected and distributed throughout the community! Not only did Blessings in A Backpack pack apples for the kids it helps but FISH distributed some and so did Knox Prairie Community Kitchen!

A HUGE thanks to Mr.McFarland as none of this would have been possible without him!
And a big thanks to Blessings Volunteers and FISH Volunteers for working hard every day!

Wishing the best on this fabulous friday,
FISH

The Blessings Volunteers and Perry McFarland!

Tons of Apples!

And lastly, the wonderful Knox Students and Blessings in a Backpack members who donated their time to pick apples! 

CASA of Knox County

FISH FRIENDS:

We're helping spread the word about CASA of Knox County. 

CASA is the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. It's purpose is to recruit, train, and supervise volunteers to represent the best interests of children in abuse and neglect cases in Knox County. 

For more information about CASA, check out their website: 
http://www.casaofknoxco.com/

In addition they're on the look out for a Volunteer Coordinator!
For more information check out this information: 

CASA of Knox County is hiring for the position of a part-time Volunteer Coordinator!The person in this position would primarily assist CASA’s director with the supervision of volunteer advocates and case management. See the "News and Activities" page of our website for details and how to apply.

http://www.casaofknoxco.com/news_and_activities

FISHy Tunes!

Some FISHy tunes are coming your way!

Friday June 21st from 6:00pm to 9:00pm is a Benefit Concert!

Peoria's Legacy Five & the Collingsworth Family are performing at Bethany Baptist Church (7422 North Heinz Lane, Edwards, IL 61528).

Proceeds go to the Midwest Food Bank! The Midwest Food Bank helps us (FISH!) out!

So kick off your weekend right and go enjoy some tunes on the 21st!

Here's the link with the details: http://www.midwestfoodbank.org/event/389925-2013-06-21-peoria-legacy-fivecollingsworth-family-benefit-concert/

Mail Carriers Food Drive 2013

Last Saturday (May 11th) was our Annual Mail Carriers Food Drive! Residents left donations for the pantry on their porches. All Saturday afternoon donations were collected and brought to FISH to be sorted. We collected over 20000 pounds of food!!

So THANK YOU!
This wouldn't have been possible with out the countless donations and support from the community.

Also, a big thank you to:
-FISH Volunteers
-AmVets Post 8
-Grace Lutheran
-NHS Volunteers
-Galesburg United Way
-Knox College
-Knox Colleges Blessings In A Backpack
-Galesburg High School
-Target
-All other Volunteers


We had an incredible amount of volunteers who gave their time to help us out. So thank you to each and every one of them!

Here's some pictures from the drive:

One of the many drop offs throughout the day.

Volunteers sort food that was collected from around the community.

 Boxes and Boxes! Oh my! Some of the many boxes that fill the pantry!

 Knox College's Blessings In a Backpack Volunteers sort food.

The wall of FISH is now lined with stacks and stacks of canned goods!

Upcoming Food Drive!

Calling all Galesburg Residents!

This Saturday May 11th is FISHs Annual MAIL CARRIERS FOOD DRIVE! So leave food on your porches for the mail carriers to pick up! 

Interested in Volunteering? 
We'll be sorting at the Pantry from 10am-5pm. Email us at fishfoodgalesburg@gmail.com or call the pantry at 341-2845.

Pencil It In!

TOMORROW: 9AM Blessings in a Backpack Fundraiser (143-145E Main Street, outside the KnoxCorp Office) 

MAY 11th: Mail Carriers Food Drive 

Calling all Galesburg Residents! Mail Carriers will be collecting donations from porches all around Galesburg on May 11. The smallest donations are very much appreciated and will go an incredibly long way. 

We're grateful for all the wonderful support from our local community. Happy Friday! 

Knox College's Blessings in a Backpack Fundraiser

Blessings in a Backpack: Pack the Backpack with Cash! 

This Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 9AM is “Pack the Backpack with Cash” a fundraiser taking place on E. Main Street right outside the KnoxCorp Office and Red Cross (143-145 E. Main Street). 

Knox College Club Blessings in a Backpack will be collecting money to buy food for kids on the weekends who are on free or reduced lunch, and might not otherwise have anything to eat. Blessings currently feeds 159 Galesburg kids.

KnoxCorps

FISH is being represented in the KnoxCorp Office on Main Street! 

"FISHing" on Friday

It's the 1st of March! 

And this week FISH was packed with tons of wonderful donations from the Knoxville Community. We can't thank everyone enough for supporting us! 

For instance, we were able to give out blueberries and fresh pears which are a rarity at FISH! 

What a Week!

 Yesterday we received a HUGE donation of yogurt from a local wholesale distributer of dairy goods. Boxes and boxes and boxes OH MY! We received more than 400 cases! FISH couldn't be more thankful and appreciative for the support from local distributors. 

In other news.... mark your calendars! The 2nd Saturday in May is the Annual Mail Carriers Food Drive. And that's all from the Pantry this week. Happy Saturday from us here at FISH!

And this was just a few of the many stacks of yogurt boxes! 

Feb. 9th Mobile Food Pantry!

A HUGE HUGE thanks to Riverbend Food Bank Moline, Galesburg Community Foundation, and all of our other wonderful Sponsors and incredible volunteers! Today we were very successful! We distributed 10,000 pounds of food. Plus, it was a blast! Here's some pictures of our volunteers in action! We had a great turnout with Knox College Student Volunteers and the return of some awesome Woodforest Volunteers!

Friday's FISH!

It's Friday!
Which means tomorrow February 09, 2013 is our 4th Mobile Food Pantry!

This months Mobile Food Pantry will be held at First Church of God(1080 Harrison Street) from 10:00-12:00pm. Registration begins at 10:15am and ends at 11:00am. Distribution will be at 11:30. We ask that no one arrives before 10am, bring containers to pack food, and bring the necessary sheet to receive food. This month, we're sponsored by Galesburg Community Foundation, Riverbend Food Bank Moline, FISH Volunteers, Knox College Student Volunteers, and Woodforest Volunteers. FISH would like to thank these spectacular sponsors! We couldn't hold this event without them!

More information about tomorrows event and other things happening at FISH can be found on our new Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/FishOfGalesburg

Check it out and Happy Friday!

Welcome to FISH's Website!

Established in 1970, FISH Food Pantry is a non-for-profit and all volunteered based organization. We provide food assistance to those in emergency situations and who meet government regulations in Knox County. In addition, we help fill the nutrition gaps during the summer when breakfast/lunch programs close.

FISH of Galesburg is open Monday-Friday 10:00am-3:00pm.

Need Emergency Food Assistance?

Call the FISH operator (309)343-7807. The FISH operator will relay information to volunteers who will return the call and determine the nature of need and if you meet the regulations. The volunteer will ask some questions that include composition and income level of the family, residency, and address among other things in order to determine the need to be provided.

Interested in Volunteering?

Great! FISH is always grateful for anyone willing to volunteer! FISH volunteers usually work two and a half hour shifts (10-12:30pm and 12:30 to 3pm). Volunteers are responsible for greeting clients, confirming residency, packing orders, tracking information on the phone, maintaining records, and maintaining the pantry. If interested, call (309) 341-2845 anytime Monday-Friday between 10am-3pm or email

Updates from the Pantry:

This year, we are partnering with a new project through Knox College called KnoxCorps. KnoxCorps places Knox College graduates and undergraduates into local organizations to become involved in the local Galesburg community. Bridget Shannon Doherty, a sophomore undergraduate student is working with us to incorporate social media as well as other projects into the pantry.

This Saturday, February 09, 2013 will be our 4^th Annual Mobile Food Pantry!  This time around the Mobile Pantry will be located at 1^st United Church Of God and will be from 10-12. To receive food at the Mobile Food Pantry a needed flier has to be picked up from FISH located at 288 Hawthorne Court.