Happy New Year from the SLCC Food Pantry!

We’re looking forward to serving the South Loop and Chicago communities in 2014. We’re very grateful for all the volunteers through the year, as well as the businesses and organizations that have assisted us.

This Saturday, January 4, 2014, we’ll be distributing food and fresh produce from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Christmas Toy Store

Volunteers get gifts ready for the toy store.

This year we had a Christmas Toy Store for two weeks during the operation of the food pantry. We had new toys for girls and boys for modest prices, many well below their original cost. The prices for toys ranged from a low of $1 to a high of $5; no toy was priced higher. Customers were able to buy up to five gifts during one visit to the toy store. We also had gift-wrapping available for those who requested it. We were delighted to have people from the neighborhood volunteer to help at the toy store, including several members of the Greater South Loop Association board. The GSLA helped us provide turkeys and fixings for our Thanksgiving food distribution by giving the pantry a generous donation of $1000. We distributed 120 turkeys on November 23, 2013.

Gift wrapping was available at the toy store.

Thank you, neighbors!
Thanks to Overflow Coffee Bar—Overflow has been a partner with the food pantry from the very start. Their have a food donation basket has been a constant source of nonperishable food items throughout the year. They just don’t sell great coffee, they’re great neighbors.

We also want to thank our wonderful volunteers. We have a regular group of volunteers from the surrounding area, including the folks from the Loop Church. Located at the Daystar Center, their members have been very generous with their time and donations of food—they help that food pantry basket at Overflow, well, overflowing! We also want to thank our regular volunteers from South Loop Community Church, the high school and college students, as well as the many folks that help us behind the scenes working with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, placing orders and keeping a check on inventory. A special thank you goes to food pantry coordinator, Rosa Ellis.

Clothes Ministry
We also want to thank those who help with the clothes ministry that operates during food pantry hours on the second and third Saturdays of the month. The clothes ministry offers clothes and accessories, free of charge, for men, women, and children. We want to extend a big thank you to clothes ministry coordinator Daisy Bell for all her hard work.

Daisy Bell and Rosa Ellis pose in front of some of the toys available at
the Christmas Toy Store.

Volunteer opportunities

We’re always in need of volunteers. There are opportunities to help during food distribution and with food deliveries during the month. If you think you’d like to volunteer, please click on the tab that says “Donate & Volunteer” at the top of the page.