Sponsored by two churches, Christ Evangelical Lutheran and Our Lady of Mercy, this food pantry is open every Wednesday. Food is distributed to low income and welfare families, unemployed, homeless and immigrants as needed. A nurse is on hand for blood pressure, flu shots, TB screening and nutrition assistance. 13,000 people are served yearly.

In existence over ten years, the major purpose of this project is to give physical and spiritual support to the hungry street people and members of the parish.

St. Blasé Wednesday Supper Program-Summit $500

Founded in 2003, The St. Blasé Supper Program has provided hot meals to over 60 guests each Wednesday. Since the program’s inception, the St. Blasé suppers have fed well over one thousand guests.

Blessed Sacrament/St. Agatha food Pantry-Chicago $1000

In operation for fifteen years, this food pantry serves 600 families in the North Lawndale/Little Village area.

Calumet City Resource Center-Calumet City $1500

The Calumet City Resource Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by the seven area churches to serve the less fortunate residents of Calumet City. The Center provides food and donated clothing as well as other types of assistance, (utilities in emergencies). The Center is open twice a week and served 13,000 individuals/4,000 families last year.

Casa Esperanza (The Good Earth Market)-Chicago $1000

The Casa Esperanza Project provides housing and a holistic program of personal growth in the South Chicago area to homeless women with children for an extended period of time. The Good Earth Market is an outreach program addressing the nutritional needs of the residents and poor neighbors. Several of the shelter residents participate in the market by helping raise the vegetables and/or by assisting with the set-up and selling the produce. The process is as important as the product as the residents learn new skills and are paid for their time.

Corpus Christi Soup Kitchen-Chicago $1000

Corpus Christi Soup Kitchen serves between 50-250 meals one day a week and has been serving the community for over eighteen years.

Courage Program (Penny Pincher Incentive)- Chicago $800

Courage is a volunteer organization built on compassion and Christian values advocating for pregnant young women and their families. Penny Pinchers was created to help Courage mothers with their shopping expenses. Products are purchased in bulk and sold to the mothers at a very reduced cost. In addition, grocery budgets are supplemented with cash cards for personal achievements (GED attendance, meeting attendance, counseling appointments).

St. Denis Food Pantry-Chicago $250

St. Denis Food Pantry has been in operation for ten years. It is the only food pantry in the area and serves 5-10 families a week.

St. Elizabeth Catholic Worker-Chicago $1000

St. Elizabeth Catholic Worker is a transitional shelter of homeless women and children. For the past fifteen years, St. Elizabeth’s has provided services to people in need from the entire Chicago area by our homeless shelter services and in the immediate vicinity in the Ashburn-Gresham neighborhood with their food pantry.

St. Eulalia Soup Kitchen-Maywood $1000

A parish committed to outreach, St. Eulalia presently has a food pantry and a re-sale shop for the poor and those who are in need. Currently there is a team of people serving the homeless through the PADS organization. St. Eulalia hopes to become a PADS site and begin a soup kitchen to serve the many homeless and hungry in the community.

St. FelicitasFood Pantry-Chicago $500

For thirteen years, the St. Felicitas Food Pantry has provided food to the needy in the community. It primarily benefits senior citizens that are living solely on a social security income and are below the poverty line. The Pantry is open on the third Saturday each month and serves 65-75 families, roughly 175-250 people.

St. Florian SVDP Food Pantry-Chicago $800

Established in 1992, St. Florian St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry serves 115 families in the Hegwisch/Burnham communities.

Franciscan Outreach Association (Marquard Center Dining Room)-Chicago $1000

In operation for fifteen years, the Marquard Center Dining Room provides full nutritious meals for an average of 138 men, women and children every night. The Center also provides showers twice a week, free drop-off laundry service, visits by health care workers, visits by substance abuse counselors and case management outreach.

Helping Hand Food Pantry-Blue Island $500

Helping Hand Food Pantry provides food assistance the unemployed/underemployed and the sick in the Blue Island/Robbins area. Approximately 110-130 families are served each week.

Holy Cross/IHM Food Pantry-Chicago $1000

The Food Pantry provides food and other assistance (furniture, baby needs, medical screenings and referrals. In 2004, 11,037 families were served.

Church of the Holy Spirit SVDP Food Pantry-Schaumburg $1000

Church of the Holy Spirit’s St. Vincent De Paul Society has been in existence for over ten years. The Food Pantry was established last fall and has served 153 families with a total usage of 439 times.

Immaculate Conception Food Pantry-Chicago $1000

Established three years ago, this food pantry serves about 75 families per week.]

Immaculate Conception Church (Hot Meals)- Chicago $500

Immaculate Conceptions’ Hot Meals Program provides meals for the needy and hungry residents in the Immaculate Conception, St. Michael Archangel parishes and surround South Chicago areas. Presently 60-120 persons benefit from the program. The program has been providing meals for thirteen years.

Irving Park Community Food Pantry-Chicago $500

The purpose of this project is to teach those who come to the pantry how to maximize their food dollars and make nutritious meals in spite of a low income. For nine years seminars have been held twice a year and have successfully influenced many families to spend their food dollars more wisely. The program includes making a nutritious meal each week and the participants are provided with all the ingredients to make that meal at home. At the end of the program, the participants have been provided with seven or eight new, nutritious recipes that they have already made twice (once in class and once at home).

St. Ita (Temporary Food Donations for the needy and homeless)-Chicago $500

This project provides assistance for the poor and homeless in the Edgewater community.

Korean Martyrs’ Church-Chicago $800

This church serves food at 3 places outside of the church (Lydia Home Association, Cornerstone Community, a homeless shelter, and Franciscan Outreach). 2100 meals were served and 200 clothes, and 200 pairs of socks were given.

St. Leonard Emergency Food Pantry-Berwyn $1000

St. Leonard’s Emergency Food Pantry has been in operation for approximately 20 years and provides people in the Berwyn area with emergency food packages or certificates, as well as referrals to local sources for additional help where needed.

St. Martin De Porres Food Pantry-Chicago $1000

This food pantry has been in operation for thirty years and served approximately 10,000 in 2004. In 2001, the pantry won the “Pantry of the Year” award from the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation.

St. Mary of Vernon-Sharing Hands Outreach Ministry-Indian Creek $1000

This project provides food, shelter, clothing, furniture and financial assistance to 90 families a month. The food pantry operated year round with distribution on Wednesday and serves food to 75-125 low-income families per week.

St. Philip Neri/Our Lady of Peace Food Service-Chicago $1000

Established in 1998, this food pantry serves over 200 people a month.

Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica (Dignity Breakfast)-Chicago $1500

In operation for seven years, this program provides a hot breakfast twice a month for 200 people who are homeless, poor and working-poor of the neighborhood.

St. Pius V Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry-Chicago $1000

St. Pius V has been operating a food pantry and a soup kitchen for twenty-eight years fro the immigrant population of the Pilsen neighborhood. The food pantry provides 90 families with food for 2,225 meals and the soup kitchen will serve 2, 175 hot meals.

Precious Blood Food Bank-Chicago $1000

Programa Cielo-St. Anthony Hospital (Prenatal Nutrition Education) $800

Programa Cielo has been in operation for thirteen years. Nutrition education and the food pantry component is important for the prenatal classes. Good nutrition as well as information on what a healthy diet is, is extremely important in the under-insured population.

San Jose Obrero Mission -Chicago$1000

Founded by members of St. Pius V parish in 1981, San Obero Mission has been providing homeless services for over twenty years in the Latino community of Pilsen.

San Jose Obrero Mission offers a community setting that includes nutritious meals and a safe residential environment. The primary goal of the program is to assist and support participants as they seek to stabilize their lives and prepare to move to a more independent living situation.

Southwest Chicago PADS-Chicago $900

Southwest Chicago PADS provides meals to homeless men, women, and children and those in danger of becoming homeless. Evening meals and sack lunches are provided for up to thirty-five persons six nights a week, seven months of the year. Year-round, breakfast and lunch are provided to homeless guests who attend the twice-weekly life-improvement programs. In addition food supplies are provided to guest moving to independent living and to families facing financial crisis. Southwest Chicago PADS was founded in 1992.

West Suburban PADS-Oak Park $900

The Emergency Shelter Program works in collaboration with religious and community groups to provide shelter and nutritious meals for homeless people in west suburban Cook County. The program operates on a seasonal basis from September through May. Eleven congregations house the shelter in their building one night a week (three sites share Saturday). The shelters house 40-48 individuals a night and offer a warm place to sleep, two meals, and a sack lunch to go. On a given night up to seventy people can be sheltered.

Will Feed Community Organization (Food Pantry)-Chicago $250

In operation for twenty-five years, this organization provides food for the poor in the Englewood community.

St. William St. Vincent De Paul Society Food Pantry-Chicago $700

In existence for over fifty-seven years, this food pantry provides food assistance to over 100 families in the area.

Zacchaeus House-Chicago $500

Zacchaeus House is a not-for-profit, non-treatment residential facility for displaced men. Nine can live at the house for up to two years. The house provides a drug free program based on faith to work, teaching the men self-respect and trades.

St. Clare of Montefalco (Zone 32 Food Pantry)-Chicago $500

This food pantry has been in existence for over twenty years, 30-40 households receive a 3-4 day supply of emergency food.