Our History
The Woodstock Food Pantry was created over 40 years ago at Grace Lutheran Church to provide food assistance for area residents (those we see ... and sometime those we don't see) in our hometown.
Grace Lutheran Church established PAK-A-SAK as a congregational project beginning in 1979 to benefit those in the community whose cupboards were bare. Under the leadership of Pastor Kenneth Ahlstrand, congregants were asked to bring non-perishable food on the first Sunday of each month to the PAK-A-SAK program. Donations were regularly encouraged, and the food collection was distributed from the church. This was a highly supported church project with regular reporting and requests for needed supplies.
Beginning in March of 1982, as the need for assistance had grown, other churches were invited to join in taking care of this critical need for our community. Food collection barrels were placed at the entrances of the churches to be the repository for the food stuffs collected.
The Community Pantry continued at Grace until 1984 when the new church on Kishwaukee Road was built. For a period, food was stored at the Clay Street School until it was moved to the location on 226 Washington Street. The Woodstock Food Pantry was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1987. In December of 2012, the Woodstock Food Pantry moved to its current location which is donated by Dorr Township.
Grace Lutheran Church established PAK-A-SAK as a congregational project beginning in 1979 to benefit those in the community whose cupboards were bare. Under the leadership of Pastor Kenneth Ahlstrand, congregants were asked to bring non-perishable food on the first Sunday of each month to the PAK-A-SAK program. Donations were regularly encouraged, and the food collection was distributed from the church. This was a highly supported church project with regular reporting and requests for needed supplies.
Beginning in March of 1982, as the need for assistance had grown, other churches were invited to join in taking care of this critical need for our community. Food collection barrels were placed at the entrances of the churches to be the repository for the food stuffs collected.
The Community Pantry continued at Grace until 1984 when the new church on Kishwaukee Road was built. For a period, food was stored at the Clay Street School until it was moved to the location on 226 Washington Street. The Woodstock Food Pantry was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1987. In December of 2012, the Woodstock Food Pantry moved to its current location which is donated by Dorr Township.
Our Mission
The Woodstock Food Pantry currently receives support from a wide range of individuals along with religious and civic groups who share a desire to serve our neighbors.
Our aspiration to efficiently serve our community without dependance on federal or state participation enables us to eliminate our utilization of government commodities. As a result, all donations of money and/or food is from private sources. The Woodstock Food Pantry business is managed by volunteers, and the pantry location, facilities and food storage equipment have been subsidized over the years by our generous benefactors.
The Woodstock Food Pantry serves more than 275 families each month, a total of more than 700 people. Seniors and individuals on disability account for nearly 50% of our clients served. Our clients include single parent families and households with children.
Our aspiration to efficiently serve our community without dependance on federal or state participation enables us to eliminate our utilization of government commodities. As a result, all donations of money and/or food is from private sources. The Woodstock Food Pantry business is managed by volunteers, and the pantry location, facilities and food storage equipment have been subsidized over the years by our generous benefactors.
The Woodstock Food Pantry serves more than 275 families each month, a total of more than 700 people. Seniors and individuals on disability account for nearly 50% of our clients served. Our clients include single parent families and households with children.
In 2022 we served at total of 7,727 clients.