Volunteers make thousands of sandwiches a week for people in need

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Kathy Smith has always had a heart for the homeless. For over two decades, she has volunteered at local shelters and St. John's Breadline. A few years ago when she was walking into one of the shelters, she talked to a client, who told her the best way she could help.

"I went in one night and a gentleman sitting outside waiting to get in said, 'Oh, I thought you were the peanut butter jelly lady,'" said Smith, who founded PB&J Springfield. "He told me that an older lady had brought PBJs to the shelter here and there, because sometimes they wouldn't have enough food brought in. So I said, 'Well, I can do that.'"

Smith started making 30-40 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each week in her home and gave them to service providers. But as the need for food has grown, so has Kathy's operation.

According to Feeding America, more than 23,000 people in Sangamon County are facing food insecurity. In response to the growing needs, Smith has recruited a group of volunteers who get together each week. Now they make between 2,000 and 4,00 sandwiches a week.

"It just has grown from 40 PB&Js a week to 2,000 a week," said Smith. "But in October, we reached 4,000 a week for two different weeks. We broke a record last week at Washington Street Mission of serving 253 individuals in one morning."

Smith has several groups of volunteer that gather on a regular basis, making anywhere from 100 to 700 sandwiches at a time. They use peanut butter, jelly, plastic bags, and bread all donated by others.

Smith that regularly drops off sandwiches to the the St. John's Breadline and puts them inside mini pantries that are located in several neighborhoods. Smith says she has had several people tell her they take several sandwiches each day to feed themselves and their children.

While the sandwiches are an easily portable, protein-filled meal, they also provide comfort, and show everyone that receives them that they were made by a loving set of hands.

"They are human beings, just as we are," said Smith. "They deserve a basic need of food. A person that is unhoused, it could be anybody in your family. It could be a child, it could be a parent."

To donate to PB&J Springfield or learn more about their work, you can visit their Facebook page: PBJ Springfield.