FISH of McHenry Food Pantry

FISH OF MCHENRY FOOD PANTRY
CLOSES A YEAR OF RECORD NEED WITH
GRATITUDE AND HOPE

As 2025 comes to a close, we are reflecting on a year defined by extraordinary need and an extraordinary response from our community.

Leading up to the holidays, more than 2000 Households in McHenry County relied on FISH Food Pantry during the months of October and November - a record high for us, and a reminder of both the scale of need and our profound gratitude for everyone who helped us respond.

This year, an unprecedented number of families arrived at FISH of McHenry for the first time, many facing unexpected hardship and the rising cost of living. Every household was offered fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, frozen and refrigerated meats and perishables, and shelf-stable staples to ensure no neighbor went without. FISH was also able to provide a complete Holiday Meal for both Thanksgiving and Christmas to each household served.

As the year ends, we are deeply grateful for the generosity and compassion of individuals, businesses, faith communities, our very own McHenry Township employees and the many volunteers who have continued to step up again and again in our time of need. Donations, food drives and thousands of volunteer hours fueled the work when it was needed most throughout the entire year.

With community support, FISH of McHenry enters the new year hopeful - committed to ensuring that every family has the opportunity to thrive.

FISH of McHenry Food Pantry is open on the
3rd Tuesday of each month from 4:30pm - 6:30pm
to address the needs of our clients that work during the day.
This is being offered as an
ADDITIONAL OPTION to your monthly distribution
NOT an ADDITIONAL SERVICE to your monthly distribution.
The 3rd Tuesday of the month in January is:
January 20, 2026

FISH 2025 Autumn Newsletter
Click on image to enlarge

We serve in an Outdoor Drive-Up Format

All in Need are Welcome!

Client Choices include canned goods, dry goods, fresh produce, cereal, rice, pasta, soups, frozen meat, eggs, milk, snacks, beverages, bakery goods, paper goods, cleaning supplies & personal care items.

FISH of McHenry Food Pantry is only serving outdoors in a drive-up format with generous carts of Client Choice preferences chosen from a Shopping List and a "Bonus Box" that may include all of the same with additional snacks and goodies! Currently, we are offering assistance to both families and individual adults who are in need of food assistance regardless of their geographic living area.

Our Outdoor Drive-Up format allows us to distribute food to several households much more efficiently and with shorter wait times. If you are in need of assistance or know of anyone in need, please come see us!

A. All guests that visit our facility will be served with food and household items during our regular pantry hours. ID Cards and Proof of Address are not required at this time. If you have not registered with us, please complete a Registration Form by clicking on one of the links below.

FY26 Registration Form English   FY26 Registration Form Espanol

B. Guests should remain in their cars and follow instructions from our volunteers directing traffic in the parking lot.

Each car will receive a clipboard with a shopping list of items to be checked off. The list will then be filled inside the pantry by volunteers and brought out in carts to cars. To view our current Shopping Lists, please click on the following links below. It is recommended that you have a Shopping List completed before you arrive at the pantry. This will help to speed up your wait time.

  Pantry Shopping List English Pantry Shopping List Espanol

C. DoorDash Deliveries are now available at FISH of McHenry Food Pantry to those who are homebound, disabled or do not have transportation available during our regular pantry hours. Deliveries can only be made if the residence is within 15 miles of our pantry. To schedule a delivery, call us at:
     815-344-4717 or email us at [email protected].
We need to schedule all deliveries in advance with the DoorDash Service. Please call during our pantry hours on Tuesday or Thursday mornings or email us in advance if you would like to set up a delivery.

Top 10 List for Food Drives

Thinking of hosting a Food Drive? We have compiled a list of items most needed for our guests to choose on their Shopping List each month. We try to keep most of these items in stock on a regular basis. Click on FISH Fundraiser Kit tab for Link to print Handouts!

The name FISH stands for :
Friends In Service Here

"Like" us on Facebook to follow updates!

Thank You for Your Support!

Please Mail Donations to:
FISH of McHenry
PO Box 282
McHenry, IL 60051

FISH of McHenry is a 501c3 tax-exempt
organization and is eligible to receive
tax-deductible contributions.
This can be confirmed at www.irs.gov/charities

For all General Pantry Donation
Payments to the Food Pantry
by PayPal or Credit Card, please
use the "Donate" button below:

To set up monthly recurring payments to FISH of McHenry Food Pantry, please select one of the Payment Options below and click on the Subscribe button:

We thank you for your continued support!

Questions? Call us at 815.344.4717
Email us at: [email protected]

Pantry Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays
9:00am - 11:30 am
3rd Tuesday of each Month
4:30pm - 6:30pm

Pantry Location:
3515 N. Richmond Rd. (Rt. 31)
At the stoplight of the intersection of Rt. 31 and Johnsburg Rd, turn west on Johnsburg Rd. and follow the road behind the McHenry Moose Lodge. FISH is located directly across the parking lot
from the McHenry Township Senior Center.

Food Drives & Drop Off Donations:
Call the pantry at 815.344.4717 if you have any questions about food drives or alternate ways to support our mission. Please check out our FISH Fundraiser Kit/Page on this website for ideas of clever ways to host a food drive or collect funds.

Donations can be dropped off at the pantry during any of our regular hours of service on Tuesday or Thursday mornings from 9am-11:30am or on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 4:30pm-6:30pm.

FISH of McHenry is partnered with:

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD- 3027, USDA https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:1.mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or 2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or 3.
email:[email protected] This institution is an equal opportunity provider.