Our Impact in 2026
For 15 years, we have offered nourishment, hope, and empowerment to tens of thousands of families in the greater Elgin area. We couldn’t do any of it without you.
Here’s what we accomplished last year alone:
Guests Nourished: Over 143,000
Measured in individual shopping visits; guests who shop two times in a year are counted twice.
Pounds of food distributed: Over 4.3 million pounds.
.7 million more than in 2025!
Number of volunteer hours: Over 2,500 per month
That’s over 30,000 hours in a year.
50% of our guests came only twice in the last year
Our pantry is an emergency stopgap for most families.
Big Wins
Every year comes with its own set of challenges, and 2026 was no exception. Roughly three-quarters of our guests are Hispanic and live under threat of ICE. Many shoppers have been afraid to leave their homes, and we saw a decrease in visitors—not from a lack of need, but because the risk was too great. In response, we expanded our distribution of food boxes, most significantly by partnering with U–46 to coordinate food box distributions that corresponded with school pick-up at elementary and high schools.
Major Milestone
Celebrated 15 years of Food for Greater Elgin and our mission to offer food and stability to our community with respect and dignity.
Raised a record-breaking $260,000 during our end-of-year campaign and welcomed 250 first-time donors.
Added 15 community partnerships to our wraparound services for our guests.
Audited our systems and discovered we are twice as operationally efficient as other food pantries and food banks.
Monies raised, food purchased, and guests served are only part of the story. Those numbers don’t communicate the relief shoppers feel in our pantry, the security they feel knowing where their next meal is coming from, and the consequent stability they start to experience.
“FFGE has been a blessing. Our family faced an incredibly difficult season when my husband had open-heart surgery. Shortly after, he was released from his work. We had no kind of money coming in, and I’m truly grateful FFGE was able to be there when support was most needed.”
Food for Greater Elgin feeds people. And food is just the beginning.
