Beardstown will have its first food pantry opening today.
Sarah and Joe Engelbrecht are opening the pantry. The Cass County Star Gazette reports that Sarah, who is a special education teacher at Beardstown Jr. High, got the idea after noticing that children in the Beardstown area were going hungry on the weekends when school wasn’t in session.
A ribbon cutting for the new facility will be at 4:15 today at 121 East 2nd Street, with the facility staying open until 6PM for tours from the community. Shoppers will have the pantry open to them on Sundays from 1-3PM, with future expansion into more hours in the works.
The pantry is being assisted by the Central Illinois Food Bank and through donations from Cargill, Dot Foods, and other community partners. Monetary donations to continue the pantry can be left at the First National Bank of Beardstown.