Small but mighty
BY ASHLEY THORPE
Writer
Feeding the hungry is one of the many services the McLean Family Resource Center takes on to serve its community.
The McLean Family Resource Center was founded over 40 years ago, with its main purpose being to serve victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or property crimes. The center works with the criminal justice system, state attorney’s office, clerk’s court, and social services, and collaborates with them to provide the best services possible for the clients served. Executive Director Jenell Olson, who has been at the center for 27 years, said the food pantry that’s run through the center is only one part of the assistance it provides.
“Assisting victims of violence is our main focus, but at the same time, a lot of the victims we serve need food,” Olson said. “So therefore, the food pantry was developed many years ago as ways to not only help our clients, but to help the general public in McLean County.”
The pantry, run out of the local resource center, can only be accessed by appointment, though no one is turned away. Evie Bardwell, who started off as a tech support in 2008 and is now the client services advocate for the center, stressed the importance of privacy when working with those who benefit from the food pantry.
“Some people don’t want others to know they went to pick up a food basket,” Bardwell said. “You want to respect people’s privacy. It’s hard to go and ask for help. If you have to feed your family, we want the people in McLean County to know that they can come and we’ll treat them with respect and they can come back and we’ll help with whatever.”
