Glen-Ed Pantry Asks for More Donations Toward New Building

Our Daily Show Interview! Getting to Know: Glen-Ed Food Pantry

EDWARDSVILLE/GLEN CARBON - The Glen-Ed Pantry is asking the community to help them help others.

Earlier this month, the pantry held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on a new building. Executive Director Jane Ahasay said it’s “an exciting time” for the pantry and its volunteers as they prepare for the new facility, but she noted that they still need financial support to help them finish the project.

“I’d like to be out of business. But hunger has been around since the beginning of time. It’s not going anywhere. So we need to be in a place where we can provide the services that are always going to be needed,” Ahasay said. “We’re very grateful for all of the support that we’ve received, but yet we do need some additional support financially so we can see this through.”

The Glen-Ed Pantry has served community members living within Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 for over 45 years. They are averaging 612 individuals served and nearly 17,500 pounds of food distributed every month so far in 2026, an increase from last year.

Construction on the facility officially begins on June 1, 2026. The $3 million building will be 9,000 square feet and designed to look like a grocery store. There will be a front porch for clients to sit and chat or for the pantry to use for pop-up distribution events.

One half of the building will be the home of the food pantry, while the other half will be space for the Second Chance Thrift Store. The thrift store allows pantry clients to shop donated clothing, with all proceeds going back to the pantry.

The new facility will also feature a commercial kitchen, a meeting space, and a private interview room for counseling and intake. Ahasay believes this will “raise the dignity and respect” of their clients while allowing the pantry to be “even better stewards of the gifts we receive.”

She added that the current pantry, located at 125 Fifth Avenue in Edwardsville, has basic doors and a ramp, which means that volunteers — most of whom are retirement age — will get a running start to push a shopping cart up the ramp into the pantry. This is how they unload food. The new facility will allow them to bring in pallets of food, so they can buy in bulk and unload much more easily.

Ahasay and her volunteers and board are eager to settle into the new space in about 12 months once construction is done. But she emphasized that financial support is necessary so they can complete the project.

She shared that they “just ran into another pickle” that will increase costs as construction prepares to start, and so she encourages people to donate online if you can so that the Glen-Ed Pantry can continue to serve the community.

For more information about the Glen-Ed Pantry, including how to volunteer, donate, or receive assistance, visit their official website.

“Life can change in an instant. I think we’ve all experienced that,” Ahasay added. “We feed everybody who’s hungry.”

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