Fighting Hunger at Home

Carlyle, IL (November 10, 2016) — With the Thanksgiving season upon us, the employees of The Maschhoffs have joined together to donate $2,000 for families served by Matthew 25, the local food pantry. Globally, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 795 million people, or one in nine, suffer from chronic hunger. While most live in developing countries, hunger is a problem here in America and in Clinton County also.

In order to increase awareness of the important role that local food pantries play in rural areas, Lana Schneider, Manager of Administration, and Linda Palm, Administrative Assistant, came up with the idea of donating a $1 a day for every day that an office employee would like to wear jeans to work. The effort raised $1,000 through employee donations, which was matched by The Maschhoffs, with all proceeds going to the Carlyle food pantry, Matthew 25, to serve Clinton County families. The response was overwhelming.

“This is a true testament to the integrity of our people and I am proud to work with such a great group of individuals,” exclaimed Schneider. Palm notes, “The Maschhoffs have made monthly donations to Matthew 25 for several years, but we wanted to go above and beyond as employees and donate even more to local families who may be struggling during the upcoming holiday season.”

Matthew 25 provides food items to over 200 families every month. As the only USDA food pantry in the county, they distribute both food and hygiene items every Wednesday morning at St. Mary’s church in Carlyle. They also operate a mobile market on the 3rd Monday morning of every month at the United Church of Christ in Carlyle, where families can pick up fresh produce and retail items. In addition to the USDA, the Carlyle Wal-Mart store donates about one thousand pounds of meat and perishable goods each week to these efforts.

On hand to receive the check were Ken Voegeli and Dave Huene, volunteers with Matthew 25. 

Pictured left to right: Ken Voegeli, volunteer director of Matthew 25, Linda Palm, Lana Schneider, Dave Huene, and back row, Pamela Therion and Julie Maschhoff.