There are some big moves taking place at Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, beginning with the most recent that meant packing up the entire Highland Avenue facility, including food and freezers, and transferring it all over to the new temporary site at 922 N. Lake St. in Aurora.
The change in location was necessary so construction can begin on the pantry’s $2 million expansion and renovation at the Highland Avenue site, which hopefully will be finished before the Christmas holidays.
The food pantry’s longtime executive leader can’t help but be pumped about all the changes going on. After 14 years at the helm, Diane Renner has, indeed, taken the work started in the 1950s by Aurora’s iconic matriarch Marie Wilkinson to a new level. From the time she was named executive director in 2010, the distribution center went from serving about 80 families a week to over 1,000 in its four locations, that include the Highland headquarters and three satellite pantries.
It’s that ever-growing need, Renner told me this week, that was the impetus behind this construction project that will not only add another 2,600 square feet but will update the existing facility at 834 N. Highland Ave. to make it more accommodating for guests, staff and volunteers.
“We just needed more warehouse and refrigeration,” Renner said, noting there were times nearby groups, including Loaves & Fishes in Naperville and the Kendall County Food Pantry, helped with storage “because we did not have the space.”
There were other reasons Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry went to work applying for the grants – including $1.8 million in federal funds – that financed this major project.
While it might seem a “silly thing” when looking at the big picture, the expanded facility will have three restrooms, as opposed to the “one rotten little bathroom that had to be shared by all,” Renner said.
There’s also going to be a washer/dryer, which means no one will have to take home the dirty mops and rags, which the executive director admits she’s been doing for the past 14 years.
And one more thing Renner can’t help but be excited about: There will be a new community room that will provide a comfortable waiting area as well as an overhead TV that will feature ongoing educational videos.
That space, by the way, truly will be for the community, she added. Throughout the week it will be used for classes, like cooking or gardening demonstrations. And it will be available to the public, as plans are in place to partner with other organizations to offer programs on such topics as managing your diabetes on a budget, reading and understanding food labels and providing nutritional food for cancer patients.
Renner used the word “amazing” to describe the effort that went into making the move to the temporary location possible, specifically pointing out Dean Sepplefrick, in distribution; Steven Torres, with the warehouse; Rebekah Axtell, communication specialist; and Cynthia Gamboa, director of development.
The move began July 26, with staff and volunteers all pitching in so that by the following week, “we did not miss one Wednesday distribution.”
The original idea, she said, was to build the pantry extension, then transfer the operation there while the renovation took place. But it became apparent that “for parking purposes and the safety of the guests and volunteers, we had to speed up the project and do both phase one and phase two at the same time.”
The current site, which is “the old Harners at Northgate… is perfect,” she added. Not only is it a little more than a minute from the Highland facility – which made the move a little easier – it features a large parking lot and a big awning out front, both of which are important because the pantry will offer only drive-up distribution at this temporary location.
Renner took on the leadership role at the pantry 14 years ago thinking it would be only for a few months. But the spirit of Marie’s pantry, she noted, “kind of grabs you.”
And it makes staff and volunteers want to do more for the community they serve.
Years ago, Renner talked about some of the goals she had for the pantry, which included more than handing out food. What’s happening now certainly means those ideas are coming to fruition.
“I want the pantry to serve,” she said, “as a center for holistic living.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
