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Streator Salvation Army rises to gold level status

Judy Booze, Director and Steve Soulsby, Food Pantry Manager accept an award based on their excellent work with University of Illinois Extension SNAP-Ed staff to make sustainable positive changes to increase food accessibility in Streator and the surrounding communities.

The Streator Salvation Army was presented with a gold certificate of achievement for their outstanding work with University of Illinois Extension staff to make sustainable changes to their food pantry environment using the Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Toolkit. The toolkit is a policy, systems, and environmental change intervention which helps create pantry spaces where the healthy choice is the easy choice. Judy Booze, Director reports that she “is committed to the Salvation Army’s mission of helping the vulnerable and underprivileged in our community. The partnership with University of Illinois Extension has been key in establishing an exceptional food pantry.”

Some of the notable recognitions of the Streator Salvation Army as noted during the assessment and subsequent follow-up work include:

  • A commitment to food safety
  • A willingness to provide staff education in the field of nutrition education and food safety
  • A layered approach to help those in need with issues related to hunger, housing, clothing and financial assistance with a referral system in place
  • Exceptional volunteers that are committed to helping their community
  • A notable response to COVID-19 with a quick return to normal services and food pantry accessibility
  • A willingness to make environmental changes to increase supportive attitudes towards healthy nutrition choices

The Streator Salvation Army Director, Judy Booze, along with Steve Soulsby and other staff and volunteers are being recognized for excellence in leadership, local impact, and hunger relief for Streator and surrounding communities.

If you would like more information about University of Illinois Extension programs for local food pantries please contact Sherry Todas at (815) 875-2878.