DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – The 23rd annual WSOY Community Food Drive wrapped up Friday, as Decatur raised over $1 million in donations during the all-day event.
Organizers asked residents to help local families facing growing food insecurity, and they delivered. The final tally from the 12-hour event was $1,051,034, which will provide an estimated 200,000 meals for area families.
That total is likely to rise throughout the weekend as more donations are counted.
Additionally, St. Teresa High School won the school donation competition for the third consecutive year.
The drive ran from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kroger Airport Plaza in Decatur. It benefited about 25 local food pantries, shelters and community organizations across Macon County.
Since the drive began, the community has donated nearly 30 million pounds of food. Organizers said the milestone underscores the area’s generosity, but the need for assistance continues to rise.
“This community has raised almost 30 million pounds of food and as large as that number is, unfortunately, the need continues to grow,” said WSOY Community Food Drive organizer Brian Byers.
United Way of Decatur and Mid Illinois Executive Director Debbie Bogle said 24% of Macon County households are living paycheck to paycheck, while another 17% are living in poverty. That means roughly 41% of households are experiencing some level of financial hardship, she said.
Local service agencies say they are seeing the impact firsthand.
Catholic Charities reported a 30% increase in first-time clients using its food pantry and a 27% increase in seniors seeking assistance.
Good Samaritan Inn Executive Director Tanya Melendez said the organization has served more than 43,000 meals so far this year. Its daily average has increased from about 250 meals to 300.
“So far this year we have served over 43,000 meals,” Melendez said. “Our average used to be around 250. Now it’s 300, so we are seeing an increase in the day-to-day need.”
All funds raised go directly to local food pantries and community organizations.
Byers said the food drive’s purpose has remained the same since its beginning: neighbors helping neighbors.
“I think you can tell a lot about a community whether or not they’re willing to let kids go to bed hungry,” Byers said. “I think that mission is what it was year one, and it’s here 23 years later.”
WAND TV is a proud partner of the event, helping support the Decatur and Macon County community.
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