Over the past several months, following the daily news has been overwhelming and disheartening for many of us. One of the best ways to cope is to get involved and engaged in the community – and to give back.
This July my office is focusing on hunger in the 11th Legislative District. Though we don’t always see it, hunger remains a persistent problem in the United States, in the city of Chicago and in our own community. According to Feeding America, a national organization of food banks, there are approximately 12 million children and 7 million seniors who receive food assistance annually in the U.S. right here in Chicago, 1 in 6 of our neighbors – that’s approximately 812,100 people – receive food from a food pantry or soup kitchen affiliated with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Right here in our own backyard, food insecurity remains a major issue. Within the 11th District, 10% of residents struggled with food insecurity in 2017 – that means almost 12,000 of our neighbors don’t have enough to eat.
Common Pantry, our neighborhood food pantry working to fight hunger and food insecurity on the north side of Chicago, has also seen a recent increase in need. Over the past three months, the Pantry has served 870 households – 11% of them are brand new clients. In the face of such challenges, we wanted to join the Pantry in supporting our neighbors who are experiencing hunger this summer.
I hope you will join me in combating food insecurity in our community by participating in our Summer Food Drive this July – whether it be donating food or personal items to our drive, joining us in volunteering at the Common Pantry or contributing monetary donations online to the Pantry.
Please see the fliers below for more information on the types of food and personal items we will be collecting and where you can drop them off. If you are interested in collecting donations from your friends, neighbors or at your office, please refer to the list of needed items below and feel free to drop them off at my district office or any of the other drop-off locations.
If you have any questions about the food drive or want get involved, please give my office a call. Together, we can make a difference for our neighbors in need this summer.
Common Pantry Wish List
Food Items
Cereal
Canned fruit
Cooking oil
Pasta sauce
Soup
Easy prep meals such as Hamburger Helper
Canned foods
Ground coffee
Salad dressing
Ketchup, mustard, and mayo
Personal Items
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Disposable razors
Bar soap
Shampoo
Feminine hygiene products
Disposable diapers
Mouthwash