United Way of West Central Illinois, in cooperation with local food pantries in Henderson, Knox, Mercer, and Warren counties, is kicking off its first annual student-led, regional food drive Monday, October 5, 2026.
Invitations to United Way’s Team Up to Fill Up regional food drive have been sent to all high school and college administration and/or student affairs offices. Participation is open to student affairs offices, school principals, coaches, student governments, clubs, sports teams, classrooms, grade levels, campus organizations, and student-led groups. Schools may choose the structure that works best for them, such as grade-versus-grade, team-versus-team, club versus-club, or campus-wide participation.
This drive is in response to one local pantry request for United Way of West Central Illinois’ assistance with one community. Executive director Jeannie Weber states, “When we were asked, we wanted to be most helpful. Knowing already that local pantries are seeing more residents in need this year, we knew we needed to include all four counties in our service area.”
United Way WCI Community Outreach Coordinator Madison Hieser added, “In order to support our local students in this, we wanted to keep things simple for them and also create a philanthropic opportunity that was fun and rewarding.” Hieser and administration support specialist Payton Smith are leading this effort, along with three local interns from Knox College, Ciao Oliveria, Diego dos Santos Bronco Mart (recent Carl Sandburg College graduates who just entered in as juniors) and Dareann Pettis (who is now a senior).
All food donated through Team Up to Fill Up will be distributed to local pantries in the counties where food is being donated. Fish Food Pantry, Jamieson Community Center, Family Outreach Community Center, and Mercer County Food Pantry will receive the donations and then, with a formula shared by River Bend Food Bank, will distribute the food to the smaller local pantries in their area.
According to recent reports from Feeding America, although rural counties account fora fraction of the population in Illinois, nearly 90% of counties with the highest food insecurity rates are rural. This is due to a number of factors, including higher food prices, a drastic reduction in government support systems (which includes families working full time but still unable to afford basic needs, seniors, those on disability, and children); and lack of transportation.
United Way of West Central Illinois has provided support to local organizations in Warren County since 1972. Over the decades and particularly in the last decade, their outreach and support has expanded drastically to meet the needs of rural communities in West Central Illinois. This includes their most recent expansions to Henderson, Knox, and Mercer Counties. For more on United Way of West Central Illinois, please visit their website at www.wcunitedway.org.
For more about the Team Up to Fill Up program, including criteria, please see the attached documents.
***Courtesy of the United Way of West Central Illinois***
