Please consider making a donation to Team Irving Park Community Food Pantry, or join our walking team, OR you and/or your company, organization or friends and family can form a team on our behalf (our pantry agency number is #A00113). Our food pantry will earn $12 for every walker who shows up! (You don’t even have to walk–As long as you show up). Click here to make a donation or form your team.

To join Team Irving Park or form a new team, click on “sign up.” Follow the instructions from there. Remember, if you want your proceeds to go to our food pantry, you need to type in our member agency number, which is #A00113. If you have any questions at all, please give us a call or email!

Job Opportunity
The Irving Park Community Food Pantry is often the first point of social service contact for people in need of financial, medical, housing, employment, or mental health assistance. We are seeking a Client Resources Coordinator, a part-time position at the Pantry, who will serve pantry clients by assessing their needs and linking them with resources in the community, including public benefits, healthcare resources, employment and job training services, mental health and substance abuse counseling, older adult services, family support, homeless shelters, literacy programs, and utility assistance. For more information, please click here. APPLY BY EMAIL ONLY. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE. 

Lots of Chances to Meet Us!
Representatives of Irving Park Community Food Pantry will be out and about this summer!  As always, you will find us at our booth at the GIPNA Farmers’ Markets at Independence Park. We will be there to accept non-perishable food donations, funds and answer any questions you may have. The dates for the markets are as follows: June 9 & 23
July 14 & 28, August 11 & 25, September 8 & 22 and October 13 & 27. The markets are always on Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Independence Park is located on Irving Park Road at Hamlin.

Did You Know?
This year, GIPNA Farmers Markets will accept the Illnois LINK Card (formerly the “food stamp” program) as a form of payment for purchases! Other credit cards (except American Express) and debit cards will also be accepted. The GIPNA Canopy will handle the purchases by plastic. So now everyone can access whole, locally grown, fresh food!

Also, we will be at the Six Corners BBQ Festival, sharing a space with the good people at Liberty Tax Agency. Again, we’ll be there to pass out brochures, answer questions and accept donations! Find us there on Saturday and Sunday, June 15th and June 16th, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Easter Success
Special thanks to the Mom’s Group of Park Community Church’s Forest Glen Campus, as well as the Sunday School and of Irving Park Lutheran Church and Irving Park United Methodist Church for their support and help in filling baskets. Thanks also to Vicci Rodgers for coordinating the basket allocation. Thank you to the Sunday School of Irving Park Lutheran Church volunteers Joyce Benninghouse, Catherine Moyers, Ryan B. and Mary Arndt for helping to distribute baskets to our clients during the month of March. In total, 256 baskets (120 girls, 136 boys) were given out.

Way to Go WebSNAP!
Congratulations to the WebSNAP team at our food pantry! Because of their success in registering so many clients for the Link Card, we received a one-time allocation of food credits from the Greater Chicago Food Depository in the amount of $8,700! In addition to the $900 per month credit through a City of Chicago pilot program for 2013 we’re receiving from GCFD, this is going to be incredibly helpful, as subsidized foods decrease every month.

The Feinstein Challenge
Our Food Pantry is participating in the Alan Shawn Feinstein Challenge. Every year, the Feinstein organization divides $1 million each year to hunger-fighting agencies based on their contributions during March and April. If you donate to the Pantry before April 30th, those contributions will go toward our total to receive some of this money, which often consists of several hundred dollars. Visit the organization online to learn more about them at www.feinsteinfoundation.org

Thank you to the Old Irving Parking Association (OIPA) who donated funds to our pantry, which will help with our drive to raise our total for the Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation Challenge. Thanks also to Curves Avondale (3701 W. Irving Park) and Liberty Tax Service (Six corners) for holding a March food drive for us!

Hunger Walk Date Confirmed
The 28th Annual Hunger Walk is scheduled for Saturday, June 29, at Soldier Field. Registration opens at 7 a.m. and step-off is at 8:30 a.m. Save the date to join thousands at our community’s largest annual event to end hunger! More information to come.

So Long, Farewell…
Goodbye to our longtime volunteer, Jay Skilton. Last year, Jay won the Volunteer of the Year Award. He has served at the pantry for six years, and in that time he’s been a board member, a representative/liason to the Three Brothers Garden, and has run the line. We will miss him very much!

Longtime volunteer, Robert Eisenhart, husband to Pat, passed away in March. A Celebration of Bob’s Life was held on March 23rd at Carter Westminster Church in Skokie. We are very grateful that Pat Eisenhart will continue to work as an integral volunteer and member of the operations team at Irving Park Food Pantry. Thank you to all of those friends and loved ones who made donations to the Food Pantry in Bob’s memory. With input from the Eisenharts, the funds will be designated by the board for a future special purpose.

1) Be at the pantry at 6 a.m. every Wednesday*
2) Help set up the tables, food stations and folding chairs

Volunteer has the option of leaving at 8 a.m. when finished. *If possible, trade-off weeks with other volunteers can be arranged. If you are interested, please contact the volunteer manager via email or call 773-283-6296. Again, dependable and reliable volunteers are very much appreciated!

Be a Bunny for a Child at the Food Pantry!
The Irving Park Community Food Pantry again will be distributing Easter bags to its clients for their children on Wednesdays in March (Easter is March 31). We are collecting goodies (candy, snacks, small toys, etc.) for children in the age categories of under 2, 2 to 5, and 6 to 8 years old. For any questions, call the food pantry at 773-283-6296 and we will direct you to our Easter Distribution Coordinator, Vicci Rodgers.

Please take a look at what our little food pantry accomplished in 2012!
Read Irving Park Community Food Pantry Annual Report, 2012

Thank you to Jane Wilmoth and the employees at Bankrate, Inc. who organized a company food drive and generously gave food, socks and funding!

On November 28th, Jessica at BuildOn organized a group students from Schurz High School students, and together they provided 150 bagged lunches for our clients! This is the second time they performed this service in the last few months, and our clients are grateful!

Thank you to the organizers of the St. Viator Parents Association’s Second Annual Mistletoe Market for taking donations for the Pantry during the event on December 2nd. Contributors filled four heavy (trust us) boxes for distribution to our clients.

Special thanks to all of the people and groups who have coordinated food drives for us this holiday season. Those drives include Community Savings Bank (4801 W. Belmont Ave.), Disney II Magnet School (3815 N. Kedvale Ave.), Kid Watch (3901 N. Ridgeway Ave.), Mount Olive Church (3850 N. Tripp Ave.) and State Representative Deborah Mell (3657 N. Kedzie Ave.). Thanks also to Barbara Ries Murphy whose drive runs December 15 to January 15th.

We are grateful to Pastor Katherine Paisley and the Irving Park United Methodist Church congregation, which held a community Thanksgiving celebration on November 21st. An offering of food and money was taken to benefit the Pantry. We also appreciate the pastor allowing our clients to wait to receive their food in the church’s sanctuary, keeping them out of the cold and snow when our waiting room overflows—as it does more often these days.

Holiday Distribution
We are getting ready for our annual Holiday distribution, to be held on December 19th. A special setup will take place on Tuesday night, December 18th, from 7 to 9 p.m. to set up and prep bags, etc. You don’t need to sign up for it, just come over if you’re available.

If you want to work only in the Toy Room, either during setup or distribution, contact Vicci Rodgers at viccirodgers@gmail.com. She has groups who plan to help, so please let
her know if you want to help. Please do not show up to work without letting Lee or Vicci know, as too many people looking for work can be a problem.

Donate Through Whole Foods
Please remember that Whole Foods Sauganash (6020 N. Cicero Ave) has named the Pantry its “One Dime at a Time” recipient through December 31st. The program gives customers a 10¢ credit on their grocery bill for each reusable bag they use to carry their groceries. Customers can donate that credit this month to the Pantry. So please tell your friends, shop Whole Foods, and use reusable bags wherever you shop!

Pantry Seeks New Board Members
The Pantry is seeking new board members. If you are passionate about fighting hunger in our community, please consider joining our group of men and women who help keep the Pantry running smoothly, as it has for 28 years. The commitment includes attending board meetings and participating on committees to help plan the Pantry’s future. If interested, contact John at info@irvingparkfoodpantry.org or 773-283-6296.

Donated Foods and Other Items Needed
If you’re curious, we have an ongoing need for specific staples that are in short supply due to government cutbacks. We especially need: Rice, macaroni & cheese, dried beans, cookies, chips, crackers, Jell-O, soup, pasta, pasta sauce, energy snacks, canned meat (tuna, chicken, other fish), canned fruits and vegetables and cereal. In addition, we always are in need of men’s white crew socks as well as shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, toothbrushes, and razors. Travel sizes are welcome. We cannot use clothing, so please let people know not to bring it in.

TODAY - December 5th, the Irving Park Community Food Pantry provided food to 639 people in 207 households. There were 17 households that came in for the first time. Of today’s distribution, 93 households received pet food through our Pet Food Corner. Our nutrition class participants made Chili Con Carne. Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers and donors who helped to make these efforts possible! Together, we are neighbors helping neighbors.

The Pantry will be closed on December 26th and January 2nd. We’ll reopen on January 9th—probably with a big crowd. So enjoy your holiday break and be ready for happy and busy 2013!

Pantry Goes Hi-Tech to Speed Weekly Operations  The Irving Park Community Food Pantry (IPCFP) is pleased to say that we have introduced a computerized, online database and entry process to maintain the records for our clients and speed weekly intake procedures. Our entire client database was input into organizing software over the past few months by several volunteers, after which training sessions for the input volunteers were held. The system went live the first week of September. Four laptops were purchased for this program through donations and technology grants, and the intake area was shifted and rearranged to make the process more efficient.

Fourth Annual Wine Tasting a Success  People that attended the Wine Tasting at the Mirabell Restaurant on Sunday afternoon, Sept 9th were met with an unusual sight – a very tall, old-fashioned bicycle that served wine with panache under the expert guidance of Redmoon Theater. About 70 people enjoyed wines from three hemispheres and five countries along with a silent auction. Many thanks to the committee that organized the event, the volunteers, the Silent Auction donors and a special thanks to Jeff Heil for his gracious donation of the Mirabell and all of the hors’ d’ouvres.

School Supply Results  The Pantry gave out packages of school supplies to nearly 400
children during the five-week distribution in August and September. Thanks to everyone who donated to help our clients’ kids get the school year off to a good start! A big thank you to Mike Mette who ensured that we had enough school supplies every week!

Coat Distribution  The Pantry is giving out coats to our clients in need during this month of October. Please bring any new or “gently used” coats to the Pantry and leave them at the food-donation spot at the bottom of the stairs at the Grace Street entrance of the Irving Park United Methodist Church at 3801 N. Keeler Avenue.

Holiday Distribution  We know it’s early, but please keep the Pantry in mind when you begin your holiday shopping. Once again this year, we will be providing toys and games to our clients’ children, and we appreciate your support in ensuring every child can have a brighter holiday season.

Farmers Markets  You can stop by and see us at GIPNA’s Farmer Markets at Independence Park on October 14 th and 28th! Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions, hand out literature and take donations.

Toiletry Drives  If you’re wondering what our pantry needs, we can use toiletries in the form of shampoos, soap, razors, shaving cream, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, as well as baby diapers (especially size 4). In addition, we have a GREAT need for men’s white crew socks. These are helpful not only to keep feet warm, but to keep belongings safe, for those who have no home.

Regarding Food  The pantry needs: Mac & Cheese, Cereal, Pasta, Rice, Peanut Butter, Jell-O, Oatmeal, Energy bars, as well as one-can meals such as chili, spaghetti & meatballs, etc. If you have any questions or would like more information on when to donate, or how to organize a food drive, please contact us at 773-283-6296 or drop us a line via email.

Volunteering  If you have Wednesday mornings open and want something physical to do, you can help others by volunteering! Email Lee Stein, Volunteer Manager to set up an interview. For more information about volunteering, read the volunteer page.

Also, we’re pleased to let you know that Whole Foods Sauganash has chosen to make our pantry a One Dime at a Time (ODAAT) recipient for for the October-December period. Each time you bring in a reusable bag for their groceries, Whole Foods will give a 10 cent credit on your grocery bill. You may choose to donating those credits to our food pantry, and as you can imagine…over a three-month time period, those dimes add up! Their ODAAT recipient for Q2 (April-June) received $1,700!

So visit Whole Foods in Sauganash today! Don’t forget to vote for us, and don’t forget to bring your reuseable grocery bag!

THANK YOU to employees of MB Financial Bank who came out for the 2nd year in a row to work the front lines and give back to the community! They worked in all areas of our pantry on September 12th and it was a pleasure to have them with us!

Join us for a Wine Tasting to benefit the Irving Park Community Food Pantry! 

Great News with the Hunger Walk
Thank you to everyone who gave to our Food Pantry through the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 27th Annual Hunger Walk. Your generosity has helped us to raise over $20,000! Please see the GCFD progress page for more information! Donations will continue to be accepted through the end of July.

Pantry Executive Director John Psiharis gives Vickie Hadaway a Certificate of Appreciation for her years of service and support, as well as a IP Food Pantry – personalized insulated shopping bag (!) as a reminder of her good works for the community!