The Food Pantry

“A person who has food has many problems,
A person who has no food has only one problem”.
                                                     Chinese Proverb

All families coming to Together We Cope are eligible for food assistance.  By providing food, families are free to use their limited funds for other necessities.  An average of 35 families receive groceries each day from our food pantry to sustain them.  Because of the need in our service area, it is often a challenge to keep the food shelves adequately stocked.    

Together We Cope is a member of the Greater Chicago Food Depository where, each week, volunteers pick up over 2,000 lbs of food.  Other sources of food come from local restaurants, stores and individuals, as well as food drives held by churches, schools and organizations.  In May of this year, Together We Cope was the recipient of the Tinley Park Post Office Food Drive.  Because of the dedication of the postal workers and for the generosity of the people in Tinley Park, over 30,000 pounds of food was collected and donated to our food pantry.

Can you imagine how much food it takes to supply groceries to 35 families a day?  The food pantry struggles, especially during the summer months, to have sufficient food available for all those in need.  Food donations are always appreciated.  Below is a list of the food most needed:

                Peanut butter
                Jelly
                Spaghetti sauce
                Pasta & rice
                Cereal
                Canned macaroni products
                Canned soup
                Canned fruit
                Canned tuna
                Canned chili         
                Beef Stew
                Juice
 
Because we seldom have fresh meat and fresh dairy, gift cards for food are always welcome.

Dedicated volunteers primarily operate the food pantry where they strive to service each family in a respectful and organized manner.  As you can imagine, the operation of the food pantry takes a lot of work to provide the service to the families that come to Together We Cope for assistance.  On average, no less than six volunteers are needed every day to run the food pantry.  Please consider volunteering four hours a week to help supply one of life’s basic needs.