Operation Blessing

Operation Blessing People That Care, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry located at 18 East Lorena Avenue in Wood River, Illinois, serving residents of Fort Russell, Chouteau, and Wood River townships in Madison County. Founded in 1982 by Virginia Kirkpatrick, who began collecting food and clothing from neighbors facing unemployment after major industrial closures, the organization has grown from humble beginnings to distribute an estimated 4 million meals over its history, averaging 100,000 meals annually. Operation Blessing provides supplemental nutrition through USDA-funded programs including the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for seniors, helping address food insecurity in the surrounding communities.