Charlie Bosworth, Director of The Wherhouse Food Pantry in Urbana, was the guest speaker at the Urbana Lions Club meeting this week, sharing an update on the pantry’s mission, impact, and ongoing needs.
Bosworth explained that The Wherhouse Food Pantry — a mission of the Methodist Church located on Church Street — partners with Second Harvest Food Bank at the regional level and Caring Kitchen locally to serve residents in need.
The pantry distributes food one week each month and currently serves an average of 350 families during a typical distribution period.
The primary demographic served is mostly women over the age of 60 who live alone.
In addition to in-person distributions, The Wherhouse also provides approximately 85 home deliveries each month, which are limited to non-perishable food items.
Clients are encouraged to attend in-person distributions when possible, as they offer greater variety and larger quantities of food.
Bosworth noted that the pantry’s biggest challenge is securing food at low or affordable prices.
Despite this, The Wherhouse remains well-funded and well-supplied thanks to strong local and state support. The pantry is operated entirely by volunteers.
During his presentation, Bosworth invited the Urbana Lions Club to consider hosting a drive for household items, in addition to food donations.
