Rockford’s food insecurity plan: $100,000 for pantries and mobile grocery store

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford leaders are taking action to combat food insecurity as government benefits remain reduced and uncertain.

“We are going to be putting forward to our Finance and Personnel Committee an allotment of $100,000 to help our local food pantries,” said Mayor Tom McNamara.

“We are also working on providing a mobile food grocery store in the near future, to provide groceries to individuals who do not have access to fresh food,” added Alderman Tamir Bell (D-13th Ward).

Local businesses are also contributing to the effort by hosting food donation drives. The Olympic Tavern has set up donation bins in its lobby, which have been overflowing with food donations.

This initiative has inspired other restaurants, such as Lucha Cantina and Harvey Wallbangers, to follow suit and support local food pantries.

“Usually, we see an increase starting around Thanksgiving time, and it grows through the holidays. This is early this year, and it is a fantastic thing to see,” said Tabatha Endres-Cruz, CEO of Rock River Valley Food Pantry.

Other businesses hosting food donation drives include Six Finger Tattoo, Rockford City Market, and Severson Dells.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.