BLOOMINGTON -- A Philo family who operates a food pantry that feeds 250 families weekly has been chosen for the Brady Homes "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Ty Pennington, host of the ABC show, knocked on the door to the Nathan and Jenny Montgomery house Tuesday morning.

Nathan Montgomery gave up a lucrative engineering career to start the food pantry, Salt & Light. His wife is a middle school aide in a special-needs classroom. They have four children, Ashton, 13; Benjamin, 9; Addison, 5; and Lillian, 4.

The television show will send the family to Walt Disney World during the makeover. The new house will be revealed on Aug. 25.

The family lives in a dilapidated 100-year-old house. The roof is falling apart, much of the siding is gone and the brick foundation is crumbling. They feared they would have to move out of the two-story house for safety reasons and no longer would be able to continue operating Salt & Light.

The family was one of five in Central Illinois considered for the show. Their house will be razed and a new one built through the coordinated efforts of Brady Homes of Bloomington, numerous other companies and as many as 2,500 volunteers.

Philo, a community of about 1,300 people, is located about nine miles south of Urbana on Illinois 130.

According to its Web site, www.saltandlightministry.org, the non-denominational ministry serves Champaign County residents who are at or below the poverty line.

"The need is great," the Web site states. "Out of the 102 counties in the state of Illinois, only nine have more people living in poverty than Champaign County. Of those, only three actually have a higher poverty rate. There are almost 23,000 people in Champaign County living in poverty."

The Web site states Champaign County residents need to make at least $12.17 an hour to afford a two-bedroom home. The average hourly wage in the county is $8.31.

Besides a food pantry, Salt & Light also has a clothing closet, offers financial counseling and a 13-week financial education course, helps with back-to-school items and distributes Christmas gifts.

Crews are expected to raze the Montgomery home Thursday afternoon and start the 24-hour-a-day build that evening. Construction will continue through Monday with the famous "Move That Bus" and house reveal to the family between 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 25.

The schedule, as well as a list of volunteers, companies donating items for the project and other information, is available at www.extremebradyhomes.com.

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How to help

As part of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Country Financial and State Farm Insurance Cos. are coordinating food drives for the Salt & Light food pantry, and the American Red Cross has scheduled several blood drives in the area.

Food drives

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. today at Schnucks, 1701 E. Empire St., Bloomington

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday at Brady Homes, 2201 Eastland Drive, Suite 4, Bloomington

(Also will be done at the Montgomery house site, 407 N. Harrison St., Philo, during the house construction)

(For a list of suggested items, go to www.extremebradyhomes.com)

Blood drives

7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at American Red Cross of the Heartland, 1 Westport Court, Bloomington

7 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 197 Union Hall, 2407 Beich Road, Bloomington (hosted by the Bloomington-Normal Trades & Labor Assembly)

8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Historical Society Museum, 102 S. West St., Danvers (hosted by the Danvers Women's Club)

Noon to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the American Red Cross of the Heartland, 1 Westport Court, Bloomington

To make an appointment call 1-800-448-3543 or go to www.givebloodgivelife.org.