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HelpByState

Macon County, Illinois

Free help in Macon County, Illinois

Find a food pantry open this week
Free help from local charities, food banks, and state and federal programs. Free to use, no sign-up. Every listing shows the day we checked it.

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25confirmed listings
2towns covered
12food pantries and meal programs
October 9last checked

This week

Food this week in Macon County

Pick a day to see which pantries are open and when. Times come from each pantry's confirmed schedule. Tap Call to reach them.

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CHRISTIANDE WITTLOGANMOULTRIEPIATTSANGAMONSHELBY MACON COUNTY Lake Decatur DecaturMount ZionForsythLong CreekMaroaHarristownNianticMacon
Illinois
25 places

    Some safety programs do not share an address, so they are not on the map. They are listed under Safety below.

    Food pantries and meals12

    Decatur

    Amelca

    Food pantry, a Central Illinois Foodbank partner. Individuals may receive a pre-packed bag once a week. Please be prepared to provide an ID and verify your household size, including the number of children.

    Hours
    Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
    Address
    250 W Decatur, Decatur, IL 62522

    Call first. Hours come from the Central Illinois Foodbank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    See all days, hours and details
    Decatur

    Helping Hands of Decatur

    Food pantry, a Central Illinois Foodbank partner. You may receive services from the pantry twice a month.

    Hours
    3rd Thursday, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. 2nd and 4th Saturday, 9:45 AM to 12:00 PM
    Address
    1177 W. Hickory Point Rd, Decatur, IL 62526

    Call first. Hours come from the Central Illinois Foodbank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    See all days, hours and details
    Decatur

    Salvation Army, Decatur

    Food pantry, a Central Illinois Foodbank partner. Serves Macon. The food pantry at Salvation Army Decatur is open to all residents in Macon County. Neighbors are asked to provide an ID or piece of mail verifying residency.

    Hours
    Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Saturday, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
    Address
    229 West Main St., Decatur, IL 62523

    Call first. Hours come from the Central Illinois Foodbank map. Please call to confirm before you go.

    See all days, hours and details

    Utility bills and rent help1

    Decatur

    The Salvation Army Decatur, IL Corps Community Center

    Salvation Army location that lists help for seniors, emergency help with rent and utility bills, family services, food help, disaster relief and help for people without a home. Help depends on funding and need, so call first to ask what is available now and what to bring.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    229 W Main Street, Decatur, IL 62523

    Call first. Call first: help depends on funding and each person's situation.

    See all days, hours and details
    Checked October 9, 2026. Source: The Salvation Army location finder.Suggest an update

    Housing1

    Shelter and warming centers1

    Decatur

    The Salvation Army Decatur, IL Shelter

    Salvation Army location that lists food help and help for people without a home. Help depends on funding and need, so call first to ask what is available now and what to bring.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    229 W Main Street, Decatur, IL 62523

    Call first. Call first: help depends on funding and each person's situation.

    See all days, hours and details
    Checked October 9, 2026. Source: The Salvation Army location finder.Suggest an update

    Health and dental3

    Decatur

    Elements at Crossing Healthcare

    Community health center run by Community Health Improvement Center. It sees patients with or without insurance and, as a federally funded health center, must offer discounts based on income.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    420 E Central Ave, Decatur, IL 62521

    Call first. Hours are not published on an official page we could check. Call first.

    See all days, hours and details
    Decatur

    SIU Center for Family Medicine-Decatur

    Community health center run by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. It sees patients with or without insurance and, as a federally funded health center, must offer discounts based on income.

    Hours
    Please call for hours
    Address
    102 W Kenwood Ave, Decatur, IL 62526

    Call first. Hours are not published on an official page we could check. Call first.

    See all days, hours and details

    Recovery and mental health help2

    Veterans services2

    Safety and crisis help1

    Government offices1

    How HelpByState works

    Checked, dated and corrected by neighbors

    1. 1

      Matched to the source

      A listing goes up only after its phone and its address or hours match the organization's own page, or an official list.

    2. 2

      Dated on every card

      Each card shows the day we checked it. If sources disagree, we say call first instead of guessing.

    3. 3

      Fixed by the community

      See something wrong, or know a place we missed? Send it in. Nothing changes until we have checked it.

    Neighbors helping neighbors

    Help is closer than you think in Macon County

    A volunteer hands a bag of fresh groceries to a mother holding her daughter's hand
    Free groceriesFood banks and pantries give food to anyone who needs it.
    A helper smiles as she helps an older man fill out a form
    Someone to help you applyState offices and local programs help with food stamps, bills and more.
    Kids laughing together over a free meal with a grandmother at a community center
    Meals and care for kidsFree meals, clinics and family programs, close to home.

    Questions people ask

    Where can I get free food in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed 12 places that can help in Macon County: Amelca in Decatur (Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM), (217) 324-2423, call first; Catholic Charities, Decatur (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM), (217) 428-6817, call first; Good Samaritan Inn in Decatur (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM), (217) 429-1455, call first. 9 more are listed on this page. Please call first to confirm the ones marked call first. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help paying rent or a utility bill in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in Macon County: The Salvation Army Decatur, IL Corps Community Center, (217) 428-4681. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get housing help in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in Macon County: Decatur Housing Authority, (217) 423-7711. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I find a shelter or warming center in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in Macon County: The Salvation Army Decatur, IL Shelter, (217) 429-8050. Please call first to confirm. We could not confirm a year-round walk-in shelter in the county. For a place to stay tonight, call 2-1-1, or 911 in an emergency.

    Where can I find a free or low-cost clinic in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed 3 places that can help in Macon County: Crossing Healthcare Schrodt Community Health Center in Decatur, (217) 877-9117, call first; Elements at Crossing Healthcare in Decatur, (217) 877-9117, call first; SIU Center for Family Medicine-Decatur, (217) 872-0855, call first. Please call first to confirm the ones marked call first. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help with addiction or mental health in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed 2 places that can help in Macon County: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (24 hours a day, 7 days a week), 988; SAMHSA National Helpline (Open 24 hours a day, every day), (800) 662-4357. If you are in crisis right now, call or text 988. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Where can I get help with veterans benefits in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed 2 places that can help in Macon County: Veterans Crisis Line (Open 24 hours a day, every day), 988; VA national phone lines (Benefits line, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern), (800) 827-1000. A veteran in crisis can call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

    Where can I get free legal help in Macon County, Illinois?

    We have confirmed one place that can help in Macon County: Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, (877) 342-7891. Please call first to confirm. You can also dial 2-1-1 to talk to a person.

    Is HelpByState free to use?

    Yes. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay. Every listing is free, and so is adding or correcting one.

    Why do some listings say call first?

    Church and community pantries often change days, move, or close for a holiday. When the sources we checked disagree, or an organization does not publish its hours, we say so instead of guessing. A quick call saves a trip.

    I run a pantry or a program. How do I get listed or fix our hours?

    Use the Add a listing or Suggest an update form. We confirm it against your own page or contact you, then change the listing. It is free.

    Is this the same as 2-1-1?

    No. 2-1-1 is a statewide phone line and database run by the state network. HelpByState is an independent, county-by-county directory that shows the date each listing was checked. If you want to talk to a person, dial 2-1-1.

    Where do the hours and phone numbers come from?

    From each organization's own website or page, official sources such as housing authority and WIC clinic lists, and the public Find Food map of the local food bank. We list the source on every card.

    Something missing, or out of date?

    If you run a pantry or program, or you saw a listing that is wrong, tell us. We check every message against the organization's own page before anything changes.