Edgar County Public Health Department to host food distribution and holiday flu shot clinic

The Edgar County Public Health Department will host a free food distribution for Edgar County WIC clients from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12. The event is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and will provide families with a fresh produce box along with nonperishable items, including pasta, pasta sauce, rice, beans, garbanzo beans and canned tuna.

“Because it's allocated and the funding is towards maternal health, they (Blue Cross Blue Shield) requested that it go to our WIC families first,” the health department’s director, Kim Ross, explained. “We planned to have 300 produce boxes, the really nice produce boxes … and the more I talked with them about non-perishables, they decided to also send pallets of non-perishable items.”

Ross said the distribution will begin with WIC clients. “It’s first-come, first-served for our WIC families and then we'll arrange how to get the rest of the perishables out after that,” she said.

WIC serves a significant portion of the county, Ross noted. 

“Most of our families here in Edgar County qualify for WIC, and we have many of them on it, because it's children up to five on that program,” she said, adding that more than 200 Edgar County families utilize the service.

Alongside the food distribution, the Health Department will host “Cookies and Cocoa with Santa” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the same day. The holiday-themed flu-shot clinic invites guests six months and older to stop in for cookies, cocoa and a flu shot. All forms of insurance will be accepted.

“I would encourage you to feel free to stop by and grab a cookie and see the chaos, the organized chaos. The flu shot clinic will be at the same time we are distributing the food boxes,” Ross said. “We've done these boxes and produce giveaways a few times with Blue Cross, Blue Shield, like for our baby shower and they’ve always brought truckloads.”

Any leftover food items will be donated Ross noted, sharing that she hopes the event and the donations will help provide free food to as many families in the community as possible.

For more information, Ross said to call 217-465-2212.