VIENNA, IL (WSIL) -- After finishing a fiscal year that included rolling out new crisis services, opening a food pantry in Alexander County and beginning to provide services in Union County through a merger, Arrowleaf is continuing to expand and invest in the communities it serves.
聽鈥淲e opened our Client Choice Food Pantry in Cairo in January and it鈥檚 staying busy but there is also tremendous need in Johnson County so we are opening one in Vienna in August,鈥� said CEO Sherrie L. Crabb. 鈥淎s of the end of June, we鈥檝e served 389 unduplicated households and 790 unduplicated clients with almost 25,000 pounds of food. We anticipate similar numbers for our Client Choice Food Pantry in Vienna given its central location in the Southern Seven counties.鈥�
Client Choice is a key aspect of how Arrowleaf鈥檚 food pantries work. Clients are not given a preselected assortment of groceries but instead get a grocery cart and have a full shopping experience.
聽The program is primarily self-funded by Arrowleaf and by private donors.
“This is not a program that is receiving funding right now outside of private donations, so it’s a major investment in these communities on our part both in terms of purchasing the food and the manpower to run them,” explained Crabb. “We need all the help we can get, especially with this expansion. Donations can be made at by clicking on the donate link at the bottom of the page.”
聽The new Vienna Client Choice Food Pantry will have an open house on August 1 from 10:00AM to 11:30AM at 101 Oliver Street in Vienna.
聽Operating hours for the Vienna Client Choice Foot Pantry will be Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30AM to 4:30AM. Operating hours for the Cairo Client Choice Food Pantry are Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
聽After around a year of preparations and construction, Arrowleaf is officially opening its Red Bud office in Vienna and will host a grand opening on Friday, August 19 at 300 Red Bud Lane in Vienna from 9:30AM to 11:30AM.
聽鈥淲e鈥檝e been bursting at the seams for years and we finally have this office as a headquarters for our administrative and financial staff,鈥� said Crabb. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also providing some services from this location including psychiatric services a couple days a week. We also have designated space for outpatient substance use services. It鈥檚 a beautiful building and we were fortunate to have staff volunteer to handle the landscaping.鈥�
聽Counseling and therapy services are available at Arrowleaf鈥檚 new Red Bud location in Vienna Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
聽鈥淭his is yet another investment in Johnson County that will result in additional jobs and revenue brought into the community for years to come,鈥� added Crabb.
Arrowleaf is the Human Services organization in Southern Illinois best positioned to support individuals of all ages so that they can contribute to vibrant and more robust communities. That’s because only Arrowleaf innovates our service offerings to best support the communities’ needs; leads community collaboration to better support the success of each individual we work with; and contributes to community prosperity and tracks economic impact. For more information visit .
