Tuesday, July 5, 2016

ATTENTION CHAMPAIGN COUNTY RESIDENTS:

The Wesley Food Pantry at Parkland College is holding an extra distribution this week on:

Saturday, July 9th from 6 pm to 9 pm.

Please remember to bring photo identification.  Any document or identification that has your picture and name will work.

Please bring reusable bags to carry the food. We do not have bags or boxes available.

If you need directions or have any questions, please follow this link http://wesleypantry.org/hours.html

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Meet our new Intern: Nick Qiu

Nick is a senior at the University of Illinois majoring in accounting. As the pantry intern this summer, he is assisting us with our accounting work. Previously he interned for the Beijing Legendsee Technology Corp.

Monday, May 16, 2016

2015 Annual Report

Check out our 2015 Annual Report and find out how much food we distributed, how many people we served and who we partnered with to make 2015 a record year for the Wesley Food Pantry!

Thank you to everyone who made 2015 possible!

2015 Annual Report

Friday, April 22, 2016

Volunteer Appreciation

SAVE THE DATE: 

It's that time of the year again--time to celebrate and show gratitude for the many outstanding volunteers who are the very backbone of all that we do at the food pantry. Come celebrate the work of our volunteers this Reading Day, Thursday, May 5th.

By popular vote food pantry staff and interns wil be hosting a Waffle Bar Brunch from 10am-12p in the Etc. Coffeehouse at Wesley.


Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Walk Against Hunger


Do not forget to register or donate to this year's CROP WALK. Exercise and fight hunger! What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday!










Volunteer Spotlight: Nan Gaylen


Nan Gaylen
In 2001 Nan Gaylen moved from the small, remote town of Gunnison, Colorado to Champaign-Urbana with her husband and three daughters. But if you ask her she'll tell you that it wasn't until very recently that she actually started
living here.

Originally from Michigan, Nan pursued rigorous studies at Principia College, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Miami before eventually earning her PhD in Educational Administration from Northwestern University. Nan found herself back in the Midwest after being offered a full-time position as a professor at Milliken University in Decatur.

Urbana also proved to be an amazing place to raise her three daughters, whose thirst for Dance, Foreign Languages, and the Arts meshed well with the school district's curriculum and the C-U community. Nan lived in Decatur part-time, travelling back to Urbana every weekend to see her family. And though it was tough, she admits that none of it would've been possible without the support of her husband Matthew, who was able to keep an eye on the girls while working from home as a software technician.

With Milliken Nan believed to have found a rewarding place to grow within her chosen field. She would later accept a position as the Director and Chair of the School of Education-a role she would occupy for ten years. Last spring, however, frustrated with the back and forth commutes and ready for a new professional challenge, Nan decided to resign from her position.

"Once the girls were all gone it was starting to get depressing [and] after ten years it's time to let somebody else do it," she explains. Though Nan initially had plans to find a new job in a new city, what happened next surprised her.

 "Last July I thought, 'let's just find a job somewhere I can move. Just pack it up and I'll find something.' By December, after spending a semester here I thought 'this is such a great community...I don't want to leave!' "

That's when Nan started really exploring all that the C-U has to offer. Close friends recommended she volunteer with the Wesley Food Pantry at Parkland, knowing that the daytime hours would work well with her new schedule. She finds that it's a great way to stay engaged and to give back to the community while meeting new people and having fun. Nan also began attending food distributions at the Evening Pantry during the volunteer panic of Winter Break season.

Nan is brimming with enthusiasm at the prospect of beginning something new. She hopes to soon be able to find exciting and meaningful work related to youth and community development. "I'm gonna find something here. I know there's something here for me," she says.

Though currently unemployed, Nan's thirst for knowledge has never faltered. She is conducting her own personal research on how African-American women succeed in their education and how to increase their success in the STEM and Medical Health fields. Nan hopes that her research--which includes a thorough literature review as well as an understanding of the existing community partnerships and potential funding sources--might be useful in her future career endeavors. "This is something I'm excited about and it's starting to formulate into this project."

When she's not at the pantry or buried in a book, Nan enjoys taking high-energy group fitness courses at the YMCA and preparing vegetarian vegetable tarts for her and her husband.

Nan, thank you for your volunteer service!