Ministries & Outreach

Community Resources

Click here for more information or call 211 

Here are some resources for dementia care from MemoryCare.com

https://www.memorycare.com/memory-care-in-illinois/

https://www.memorycare.com/what-is-a-memory-care-facility/

https://www.memorycare.com/when-to-consider-memory-care/

https://www.memorycare.com/what-to-expect-in-memory-care/

Salem provides volunteers and/or support to many ministries - both local and across the world. Here is a sampling: Hope Haven, Safe Passage,  “Angel Tree” for Avancer House (Genoa), Meals On Wheels, Salem Food Pantry, Social Justice / Global Missions Team, Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, ELCA World Hunger, and Lutheran World Relief.

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."

(Hebrews 13:2)

Salem Food Pantry

Regular hours . . .

  Tuesdays 9:00-11:45 am

  Wednesdays 3:30-6:00 pm

The Salem Food Pantry will be closed
Tuesday Dec 19 and Wednesday Dec. 20
Tuesday Dec 26 and Wednesday Dec. 27

Thank you to the whole team at Kunes Hyundai in Sycamore for for packing and donating 4 pallets of food- over 550 bags of pantry staples! What a difference you have made for our community !!  https://www.facebook.com/Kuneshyundaisycamore

120 Thanksgiving dinners made their way to family dinner tables on Monday morning- thank you to the crew and the teenagers who got up early on vacation to help! And to all of who who donated at the cash registers at Jewel! 🦃🦃

Thank you Salem friends- you filled the soup shelves this week! Thank you for helping us put smiles on so many faces- 50 families just on Tuesday morning! ☀️

Many people have asked how they can help the food pantry. We have a wish list on Amazon for our food pantry. https://a.co/bBFSlL4

FOOD PANTRY Update
By the numbers:
40% Increase in family visits so far this year over 2022
176 number of families who visited for the first time this year
2,125 Total number of family visits
If you’re wanting to help shop, we always need staple items.
A special thank you to Sycamore Township!
Sycamore Township granted our request for one of their 2023 Social Service Grants by awarding us $2,000! Thank you to Township Supervisor, Amy Mathey, and the entire Sycamore Township Board of Trustees for their support of our mission.
Their words of support are encouraging, “We appreciate the important service you provide to our community and hope the grant monies awarded will help defray the ever-rising costs…”
Their help will make a difference in the daily lives of our families. For perspective, $2,000 will cover about 3.5 months of fresh produce purchases or about one and one half to two months of deliveries from the Northern IL Food Bank.
Busy days at the pantry! How do you unload, sort, and stock 5000 pounds of product in 90 minutes? With 3 of the best volunteers ever! Remember you can help Salem’s pantry purchase food from the Northern IL Food Bank by donating through Salem — or if your employer matches charitable donations, you can donate to the NIFB and direct the funds specifically to Salem’s pantry! Contact Liz for details. 815 895 9171
A very busy pantry day on Tuesday- nearly 50 families and a special donation.
A huge thank you Neilly Burger and the Sycamore Elks for their continuing support of our food pantry- you make what we do possible!

Wow! What a week at the pantry- we greeted 97 families this week and helped fill in the gaps in their own pantries.

Now it’s time to restock our own!

Our hearty food pantry crew distributed 80 holiday dinners on December 19th. We’ll worth braving the cold! Thanks to Jewel in Sycamore and all the shoppers who donated at the registers!

Tuesday was Christmas at the pantry! A huge thank you to our new friends from Cortland-

Brianna, Peyton, Morgan, and Landon made a special trip to the grocery store and filled their Grandma’s car with wonderful items for our families. Thank you for being so thoughtful and generous!! We love your community spirit!

And thank you to Sandi and Angela for encouraging and supporting your kids.



Thank you to the confirmation students who sorted, shelved, and stocked all of the food collected in our “Blessing Bags”. Amazing help! And our shelves are full!

A huge thank you to Joel Barczak and Kate Pearson and everyone at Blumen Gardens. We are so grateful for their donation of food and funds collected from generous community members at their annual Vintage and Maker Market!  What a wonderful show of community spirit and support!
A huge thank you to one of our youngest supporters. Remy Lynd enlisted his grandparents, Gerry and Debbie Benson, to help bring his food donation to Salem’s pantry after asking his friends to bring food instead of presents to his birthday party and after Grandma took him shopping with his birthday money. He bought buy all the necessities an 8-year- old knows we all need: jelly, Mac and cheese, ketchup, mustard, hot dogs, buns and oatmeal! Thank you Remy!!

Pantry volunteers embraced the cold temperatures Monday morning and handed out 136 Thanksgiving dinners!

Thanks to Jewel-Osco, Sycamore for contributing all of these meals purchased with the donations made by their customers. A true community effort!!

And thanks to the teenagers who got up early on their holiday break to lead the team: Lily and Anna Baker, Sabrina and Lila Ezell, and Max and Jules Breidenbach.

Just another fun morning if produce sorting at the pantry!  You never new bananas and potatoes could be so much fun!

Here is a picture of Gerry and Dave Benson lending their help to pack peanut butter packets!

A huge thank you to Salem. Your support of this ministry has never been stronger and more meaningful. Your support means we can meet the needs of families who come to our doors. As volunteers, all of us are privileged to spread the love of Christ to our neighbors — we could not do it without all of you.

 Thank You . . .

 Thank you to everyone at Salem for their support - donations of

 time, money, and prayers.  You have made this possible.

 A special thanks to the volunteers who sort through all of the food donated by Jewel to make sure it's ready for our families!

The new refrigerator arrived and is ready to go for Salem Food Pantry!

A huge thank you to the Midwest Dairy Association and local farmer, Bill Deutsch, for nominating Salem's food pantry to receive their Community Relief Grant. We are thrilled to receive a brand-new, commercial-grade refrigerator to stock with dairy. Midwest Dairy represents 6,500 hardworking dairy farm families throughout the Midwest. (www.midwestdairy.com). Their help significantly expands our capacity to provide fresh, healthy dairy products to all of the families we serve.





Liz Ezell and Sabrina Ezell with Jan Kuntz. Salem Food Pantry were one of the lucky recipients of Stage Coach Players Food Drive. They received groceries that filled up a car!








What can you do?

You are already doing so much. Donations of food and funds from our Salem family are keeping our shelves full; we are inspired and encouraged by your generosity. Still, your help remains critical as we expect the demand for food to increase. Checks can be made payable to Salem Lutheran Church with “Food Pantry” in the memo line. Food donations are also welcome, especially of the items we cannot currently buy from the Food Bank:

  • Peanut Butter

  • Pasta Sauce (plastic/cans)

  • Canned Fruit & Vegetables

  • Rice (plain white or side dishes)

  • Boxed Potatoes

  • Canned Fruit

  • Canned Meat (tuna, chicken) Salem

Salem Food Pantry, founded in 2000.

It serves all DeKalb County residents.  Please bring a photo ID like a Driver's License
and a recent bill with your current address on it.

Volunteer opportunities are available and donations of food and paper products are always appreciated.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
We are looking for help on a variety of tasks at the Pantry – from being a substitute pickup driver to deliver food from Jewel to help stocking our shelves. Available tasks vary depending on the day: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays.
Call the office at 815-895-9171

Pipestone Veterinary Services presented Salem Food Pantry with a $1,000. Pipestone serves primarily the pig farming community locally and nationwide. Here is Salem member and Pipestone veterinarian Dr. Wesley Lyons presenting the check to Salem Food Pantry Coordinator Liz Ezell. Thank you Pipestone! 










Hours
Tuesday 9:00-11:45 a.m. Wednesday 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Contact
Salem Food Pantry
1145 DeKalb Avenue
815-895-9171
Liz Ezell, Director
Partner
Northern Illinois Food Bank
Jewel/Osco - Sycamore