by Angela Orlando
When you come to church for Mass on the weekend, there is usually
a mountain of food and paper products in the corner of the narthex.
What’s that all about?
…feed me with food convenient for me…Prov. 30:8
St. Isidore Parish is a contributing and founding member of Neighborhood Food Pantries. That’s not just one pantry; there are six of them, soon to be seven, in DuPage County. They are Resurrection Parish, Lutheran Church of the Master, St. Andrew United Methodist, 123 Fremont in West Chicago, Family and Faith, and Immanuel Presbyterian. Bloomingdale Church will soon be added to our “Neighborhood”. Several volunteers who work a couple of days a week help the clients shop for food—currently, the
volunteers pre-box the food but pre-pandemic the pantries worked just like your local grocery store.
With a few exceptions, the donations at our parish are picked up and taken to the Lutheran Church of the Master site just a few blocks west on Army Trail Road. The produce grown in our parish organic garden is sent to
Resurrection a couple of miles west on Army Trail Road in Wayne. St. Isidore has had monthly site, Focus on Hunger food drives on a Saturday where you may drop off your donations without leaving your car. Mike Jankiewicz and his volunteers look like they are playing TETRIS with the
items as they fill the NFP van. Additionally, several local grocery stores provide overstock food and items that are approaching “use by” dates. These are distributed to the various sites.
They shall hunger no more…Rev. 7:16
As you’ve probably heard or read, there is hunger throughout the country and DuPage County is no exception; there are hundreds of families that are food insecure. The food pantries help them feed their families. A family
member may register with a driver’s license or state ID and a current utility bill at any of the food pantries which are open two, three, four or five days a week depending on the location. Guests may access any of the pantries up to a total of four times a month.
There are several ways you can help fill the need besides bringing canned goods, non-perishable packaged food and paper products with you as you come to church. Cash donations are accepted anytime to Neighborhood Food Pantries, P O Box 88447, Carol Stream, Il 60188-0447. You may donate on the website: NeighborhoodFP.org. Every year during the summer NFP sponsors a 5K race. (You can walk—it’s more fun and good exercise.) Every fall NFP hosts a Dinner/Fund Raiser called HarvestFest with great prizes
in a silent auction and emceed by TV personality Dave Savini. In this pandemic year a virtual HarvestFest Ultimate Tailgate interactive event was held on November 7.
They shall not hunger or thirst…Is 49:10
Will you help? NFP is a 501c charity with a Board of Directors; you may recognize several parishioners on that board: Secretary-Pam Lansford, Lee Prosch, Vice Chair-Janice Breyne, Martha Neville, and Maria Malachowski.