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When leaders at St. Sabina Church learned that the corner food pantry was closing after more than a decade, they knew they had to step in and save it.
The pantry, located at 1120 W. 79th St. in Auburn Gresham, was run by Catholic Charities but due to rising costs, the organization made the decision to close some locations. The Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of Sabta Sabina, said the church often worked with the food pantry and knew how much people in the community depended on it.
“We needed to step in and take charge ourselves,” Pfleger said. “It has been a journey of faith, without a doubt, because opening it is like starting a business, but we are going to try to be here as a resource for the people who depend on that pantry.”
The pantry served nearly 900 people a month, Pfleger said.
Catholic Charities closed the pantry on September 30. After some improvements, reorganization and a new coat of paint, the pantry will open Tuesday as the St. Sabina Social Service Center.
“We didn’t want there to be too long a pause in reopening,” Pfleger said. “We have people coming almost every day trying to get food, but they have had to wait until we were ready.”
The pantry will not only provide food, but will also offer clothing, counseling and case management services.
Pfleger said the pantry will have a full-time staff, as well as several volunteers present throughout the week.
The pantry will be stocked with the help of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Community members will be able to come, grab a cart, and buy whatever they need.
“A lot of times, pantries just hand out a bag of food, but sometimes they don’t like what’s inside,” Pfleger said. “Here, they can walk the aisles to pick out what they want, just like they would at a Jewel or a Mariano’s.”
Pfleger said the hope is to expand the pantry to offer more services and be able to hire more staff, but that would require more donations.
“We are going to be there for the long term, but we are going to need support to be able to serve as many people as possible,” he added.
The pantry will be open from 9 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday.
Translated by Gisela Orozco for The Voice Chicago
