A huge thank you to our partners

The Mark Speciale Family

Building a Brighter Future:

A New Home for Glen-Ed Pantry, Built by THE Community for Generations to Come

Built by the community; for the community - the Glen-Ed Pantry has been serving the residents of Edwardsville School District #7 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Hamel, Worden, Midway, Moro, Dorsey, and Prairietown) since 1980.

This has been possible through the generous donations of time, talent, and treasure from our local community. The Pantry’s 500+ volunteers ensure our clients get the food, toiletries, clothing, utility assistance, school supplies, and more that they need to thrive.

The need in our community is growing, and the Pantry’s current home is simply no longer enough. With more clients than ever and increasingly complex needs, we are struggling to keep up. To truly serve our community, both now and for generations to come, we must take bold action. That’s why we’re launching a $3 million fundraising campaign to build our first-ever dedicated facility—a place where we can better care for those who depend on us.

We need your help to make this vision a reality.

Imagine a state-of-the-art facility where accessibility meets generosity, creating a space that transforms lives.

Our new building will feature:

  • ADA-compliant entrances for both our Food Pantry and Second Chance Thrift Store, ensuring everyone in our community can benefit from our services.

  • The addition of a commercial kitchen will unlock new possibilities, allowing us to process fresh produce and meats, create shelf-stable foods like jams and salsas, and repackage bulk donations into portions that are perfect for our clients.

  • An expanded Food Delivery area, we will finally have the capacity to accept and distribute larger donations, including entire pallets of food, enabling us to help more families than ever before.

  • Upgraded freezer and cooler, with an additional 20 square feet of storage, will empower us to purchase and store larger quantities of meat and other essentials, reducing costs and increasing our ability to serve more clients.

  • Multiple meeting spaces will create opportunities for partner organizations to provide wrap-around services for Pantry clients - such a health screenings, financial coaching, and more!

Impact By The Numbers

  • Over 500 volunteers donate their time to Glen-Ed Pantry each year, with 60+ contributing more than 600 hours annually.

    Together, they provide over 10,000 hours of service, ensuring our families receive the support they need.

  • Food Donated: 205,700 lbs – Generous contributions from our community!
    Food Purchased: 17,250 lbs – Carefully selected to meet our clients' needs.
    Food Distributed: 198,440 lbs – Nourishing thousands of families throughout the year.

  • We go beyond groceries to help our community.

    260+ backpacks are distributed each year

    $2,800 worth of clothing is donated to clients each month

    We are 100% women-run

Hear from our Board