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Politics & Government

Food Pantry's Staying in Township Building, Officials Say

Plainfield Township wants to end rumors that it's trying to push the charity to find a new location.

Six months after a dispute erupted between Plainfield Township and the Plainfield Area Interfaith Food Pantry, township officials are eager to end rumors that they want the charity to leave its township hall digs.

“We are trying to settle all our differences and nobody is thinking about trying to get them out of the building,” township Clerk Anita Gerardy said at Wednesday's township board meeting.

While the township committee formed to helped settle the food pantry issues is still working through the final phases of an in-depth review, food pantry organizers have agreed to add a second Saturday food distribution, committe member Gerardy said.

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“I am very happy about the way this has turned out,” she said. “We have resolved every issue.”

Last December, the township board demanded a meeting with food pantry officials to air their grievances about problems with the monthly food distribution. Among the complaints was the fact that distributing food just one day a month was causing a dangerous pedestrian situation because because overflow cars must park on the other side of busy Lockport Street.

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Since then, the committee of pantry organizers and volunteers, with Gerardy representing the township, has been working through a business plan drawn up by pantry volunteer Barbara Seiden, a Plainfield mother and former business management consultant.

The in-depth business plan has involved defining “stakeholders,” interviewing pantry workers about strengths and weakness in the program, and seeking input from leaders of other food charities in the area.

The township is eager to circulate “happy positive news” about the success of the collaborative process and the future of the pantry-township alliance because rumors persist that the township is trying to push the pantry out of its building, Gerardy said.

“We want to clear the air for everybody,” she said.

There has been some discussion among committee members that the food pantry should consider finding a new location, but township officials hope the pantry will contineu to the addition it built on township hall for the non-profit charity.

“We built that wing especially for them,” township Supervisor John Argoudelis said. “All we ask is that they work with us on a couple of issues.”

The Plainfield Area Interfaith Food Pantry was established in 1990 as a way to provide disaster relief after the Plainfield tornado. It now collects donations of food and other basic items, such as diapers, toilet paper and school supplies, to distribute to Plainfield people in need.

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