New Rockford Neighborhood Market provides free grocery shopping at former Kmart amid growing food insecurity

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Inside a former Kmart on Sandy Hollow Road, shoppers move their carts through a selection of produce, dairy, meats, canned foods and cereal.

The new Rockford Neighborhood Market is designed to feel like any grocery shopping run with one exception: It’s free.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank’s nearly month-old market at 1397 Sandy Hollow Road provides the nonprofit with more space to serve its shoppers and the 240 agencies it provides to such as soup kitchens, pantries and shelters.

The opening comes at a time when food insecurity has increased and the nonprofit is serving a rising number of people. The food insecurity rate was 13.8% in Winnebago County last year, and it’s risen to 15.1%. Meanwhile, Northern Illinois Food Bank has seen a 12% increase in people served over the past year.

“It’s very important. Right now, with groceries going up it’s financially a little hard to get everything you need,” said Adriana Zizumbo, who was shopping Thursday with her 7-year-old daughter. “It’s a great help to the community, and a lot of us can use the help.”

The new Neighborhood Market, formerly known as the Winnebago Community Market, serves an average of 1,400 people each week. There is no proof of income required to shop at the market. There is a check-in to ensure shoppers are only visiting once per week and to help the nonprofit manage its numbers.

“”It’s a difficult thing to come in and say you need help,” said Shannon Thompson, director of volunteers at Northern Illinois Food Bank. “Our assumption is if you’re coming here you are in need.”

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Behind the move

Northern Illinois Food Bank had operated from its Northwest Center in an industrial area at 765 Research Parkway since 2015, but the growing need presented several challenges from parking issues to limited indoor space that often left shoppers waiting in the cold or summer heat for their turn inside. Now, people can line up in the temperature-controlled space of the new Neighborhood Market.

“You had to wait about an hour and a half if you were here early,” Zizumbo said of the previous space. “Now you get to wait inside, which is nice.”

The food bank took over about 30,000 square feet of the former Kmart, increasing its space by about 11,000 square feet. It also has a larger parking lot that ends issues with congestion and directing traffic.

“When you go to the grocery store, nobody tells you where to park,” Thompson said. “At our old space we were so limited on our (parking) spaces that we literally had to tell them you go in this gate and then you have to go out that gate — people were waiting on the street.”

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The new space also has two loading docks for more efficient pickup for agency partners. A grant from Feeding America helped provide cold storage lockers that allow for shoppers to order their food online and pick it up at a later date if they can’t make one of the two weekly markets.

“They’ll get a code and they can come on a Sunday when we’re closed and they can put in their code in and they can get their food,” Thompson said.

Volunteers needed

The Rockford Neighborhood Market opened on Feb. 13. The nonprofit welcomed members of the media Thursday to show off the renovations and encourage people to volunteer. It relies on volunteers on market days for food sorting and packing, helping shoppers and other duties to aid with the food distribution. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old.

“We know in the Rockford area, the Winnebago County area, there are more compassionate individuals out there who have some time and we’re really just encouraging them to come on out and see what we do,” Thompson said.

The volunteers help the food bank with its goal to create a shopping experience like any other, where you can select your own choice of frozen meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, soups, dairy products, cereals and other items.

“This is super organized and really helpful,” RaChelle Holmberg said of the new space.

She said her son, a former teacher, suffered a stroke and has been recovering. The market has been key in helping with groceries as he relies on Social Security benefits and recently had his SNAP food assistance cut to $23 a month, she said.

“To help him it’s a godsend,” she said.

About | Rockford Neighborhood Market

Where: 1397 Sandy Hollow Road, Rockford

Schedule:

• 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday

Rules: Rockford Neighborhood Market is a Federal Emergency Food Program site. You do not need to provide any proof of income. You can shop at the market once per week on either day. There is a check-in to show you’re only shopping once a week. No shopping bags or boxes are provided and you should bring your own bags.

Volunteer: If you’re interested in volunteering, visit HERE.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas