Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
      • Steve Metsch
      • Steve Neuhaus
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Toggle search form
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Former Chicago Attorney Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Tax Fraud and Witness Tampering Crime
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar with Chicago region veterans. No one supports veterans more than Aguilar
    Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar honors veterans at first of monthly VetConnect Workshops at district office Cook County
  • Coffee & Conversation for the public on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, featuring two speakers who will address individual fatigue and how to empower your personal health and activism.
    Orland Fire hosts Coffee & Conversation on individual fatigue and personal health Events
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Man Sentenced to a Year and a Half in Federal Prison for Covid-Relief Fraud Crime
  • Photo submitted by Jeffery M. Leving and Associates
    Leving team protected dad’s daughter from danger and restored his peace of mind Chicago
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays Blogger
  • Muslim prayer tent, O'Hare Airport Uber/Lyft Staging Area
    O’Hare Officials say they will pursue “more permanent solutions” for Muslim prayer Tent Chicago
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar
    Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar Gives Update on His Work to Support Victims of July Floods in Cook County’s 16th District Cook County
  • Adel and Omar Nofal Eagle scouts, the 224th and 225th Eagle Scouts in Troop 318’s 87-year history
    Twin Brothers from Orland Park’s Troop 318 Achieve Scouting’s Highest Honor: Eagle Scout Government
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago Creates New Section to Prosecute Criminal Healthcare Fraud Violations Business
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Don’t Pay for What You Can Get for Free: How to Claim Your Property Tax Refunds  Cook County
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Dad reunited with grieving children after tragic death of mother Dads' Rights
  • Arthur Kallow CLE August 20 2025
    Leving Matrimonial Law Seminar to Address Complex Litigation Motions and Exceptions to the Hearsay Rule Arthur Kallow
  • Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge
    Village of Orland Park Receives Clean Audit Opinion for Fiscal Year 2024 Government
  • US Congressman Mike Quigley, who represents the 5th Congressional District in Illinois and serves as the Congressional Ukraine Caucus.
    Congressmen slam President Trump’s meeting on Ukraine with accused war criminal Putin breaking news
Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek visits the new Food Pantry in Bridgeview. Photo courtesy of the Des Plaines Valley News

Bridgeview Food Pantry helps many

Posted on June 28, 2017June 28, 2017 By Steve Metsch No Comments on Bridgeview Food Pantry helps many
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Bridgeview Food Pantry  helps many

Staffed by volunteers, held in community center

By Steve Metsch

Steve MetschFor members of the Oak Lawn Community Church and other volunteers, Wednesday is always a special day.

That’s the day they spend hours making sure there’s plenty of food available for their clients, some making a monthly visit, some making their first.

They are at the new Bridgeview Food Pantry, open from noon to 2 p.m. each Wednesday, at the Bridgeview Community Center, 79th Street and Oketo Avenue.

The doors are open to anyone who needs food, provided they live in one of 20 southwest suburbs and parts of nearby Chicago.

Alice Bruce and Carol Swanson are co-coordinators of the food pantry.

Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek visits the new Food Pantry in Bridgeview. Photo courtesy of the Des Plaines Valley News
Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek visits the new Food Pantry in Bridgeview. Photo courtesy of the Des Plaines Valley News

“We have a wonderful staff of volunteers, about 15 each week,” Swanson, of Oak Lawn, said.

They arrive around 9 a.m. and proceed to load up brown paper grocery bags with staples such as fruits, vegetables, pasta or rice, tomato sauce and prepackaged “casserole bags,” all the ingredients needed for a casserole.

The food pantry had been running at least 15 years at Oak Lawn Community Church, 91st and Ridgeland. But when the church sold the building last year, the new owner eventually decided there was no room for a food pantry.

Fortunately, Bridgeview Mayor Steve Landek heard about the situation, stepped up and offered the community center as the food pantry’s new home.

The village had been running its own food pantry on Friday. This replaces that one.

Landek said he was “happy to give them a home.”

“The most interesting thing about our food pantry is that it is run by a faith-based organization. We relinquished our role to them and the program is bigger and better,” Landek said, thanking the volunteers for “the good work they do.”

Those volunteers take the people around and they have choices of what they can have, Swanson said.

Bruce said it doesn’t happen often, but they occasionally get a homeless person at the food pantry. Such was the case on May 31 when a young lady showed up needing groceries.

“She has an ID with her. She’s moving into the area. We’re giving her food today, but when she comes back she has to bring identification that she lives in the area. We try to take care of everyone, but we don’t want people to take advantage of us,” Bruce said.

Clients can get food at the Bridgeview pantry once a month.

“We make 30 bags each Wednesday, that’s our goal,” Swanson said.

Some weeks, those bags go fast. Sometimes they don’t.

Bruce said all kind of economic levels show up, noting “we are all only one paycheck away from being homeless ourselves.”

One anonymous man visits three times a year bringing four cases of spaghetti, four cases of spaghetti sauce, four cases of mac and cheese, and four cases of mashed potatoes. He never says his name and wants nothing in return, Bruce said.

Local churches donate, as do some large chain stores like Costco. The Greater Chicago Food Depository is another valuable source of food items.

On May 31, a first-time visitor is escorted by Swanson, who takes her time leading him through the process, offering him a bag that’s already been filled, along with other items he decided he needs.

“Help yourself to cereal, anything else you want,” Swanson told him.
Andrew Schrode, 59, of Hickory Hills, said he “got notice I’m losing my job in two weeks.”

“I’ve got to cut ends as much as possible I found this food pantry by accident, and I said, ‘Let me check this one out’,” he said. He shopped for himself, his wife, their son and two grandsons.

A military man for 24 years, he had worked for a warehouse in Hodgkins that’s affiliated with Caterpillar, which announced his job will soon disappear. He thanked the volunteers as he walked out, his arms filled with groceries.

Scenes like that keep volunteers coming back, said Kim DeJesus, of Burbank. The pantry is for anyone who wants to volunteer. You need not be a church member. DeJesus is not. But she’s volunteered for about eight years, she said.

“It means everything to me. I enjoy giving back, donating my time and helping people here. There are people who have never been to a pantry before. They feel awkward being here and I think I do a really good job letting them know it’s okay,” DeJesus said.

DeJesus said she can’t help but feel good when she leaves, “knowing I’ve helped out a few people.”

“We all need help sometimes. It’s here. Why not? It’s for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you have a job or not. You’re still welcome to come to our pantry once a month,” DeJesus said.

A new volunteer, Rita McKendrick, of Chicago, started helping in January. “I retired and I wanted something to do,” she said with a laugh.

She plans to visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository with Swanson when she visits to stock up on supplies.

For more information about the food pantry or to make donations, call James Nagel, who manages the community center, at 708-458-4675 or 708-924-8080.

The Bridgeview Food Pantry serves residents of Alsip, Bedford Park, Blue Island, Bridgeview, Burbank, Chicago Ridge, Crestwood, Evergreen Park, Hickory Hills, Hometown, Justice, Midlothian, Oak Lawn, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Stickney, Summit, Worth and Willow Springs. Chicago residents living in the 60632, 60629, 60638, 60655 and 60652 ZIP codes are eligible, as are the homeless.

— Desplaines Valley News

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Steve Metsch
Steve Metsch
Steve Metsch is an award winning veteran reporter who previously worked for the Daily Southtown Newspapers, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Metsch is a writer and editor at the Southwest News Newspaper group based in suburban Chicago, and a freelance writer a health magazine, the Suburban Life, the Naperville Sun, and other organizations.
Email Steve Metsch at [email protected]
Steve Metsch
Latest posts by Steve Metsch (see all)
  • Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are still rockin’ - August 10, 2023
  • Weathering personal storms - July 20, 2023
  • Countryside solution irks some - July 20, 2023
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Features, News Tags:Bridgeview, Bridgeview Food Pantry, Mayor Steve Landek, Oak Lawn Community Church

Post navigation

Previous Post: Troopathon to send care packages to our troops overseas
Next Post: Marie Newman announces candidacy for 3rd Congressional District

Related Posts

  • Illinois Tollway. Courtesy of the Illinois Tollway Authority
    Illinois Tollway and Police host 2nd Kids Identification and Safety Seat in Bartlett as part of Operation Kid 2022 Chicago
  • Rob Cruz, Republican Candidate for the 6th Illinois Congressional district.
    Cruz urges Supreme Court to uphold personal liberty Chicago
  • easons 52, a fresh grill and wine bar, is opening in Orland Park on Monday, November 4.
    Seasons 52 restaurant arrives in Orland Park Features
  • Ziyad Tahini, named Best Tasting by Cook's Illustrated Magazine 2017
    National Magazine names Ziyad Tahini “Best” Tasting Editors Pick
  • Orland Township Senior American Idol
    Jim Spoto Named Orland Township’s Senior American Idol Entertainment
  • Fathers Rights Attorney Jeffery M. Leving
    Children taken out of state returned to father by Dads’ Rights attorney Chicago

More Related Articles

OFPD Commissioner Donald "DJ" Jeffers, OFPD Trustee Beth Damas Kaspar, and former Palos Heights Police CSO Bridget Eileen Tolan, will take the oath of office for the OFPD Board of Trustees on Monday May 5, 2025 Fiscal Voices candidates to take Oath of Office for Trustee for Orland Fire District Monday elections
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas with elected officials and Arab community leaders at the Arab American Heritage celebration at Oozi Restaurant April 10, 2019. Photo courtesy of Anthony Caciopo Pappas reminds taxpayers: Pay First Installment Cook County property taxes through May 3 with no late fee Business
Don’t let Facebook off the hook for their violations of your rights breaking news
Wolves Hockey player #18 TJ Tynan from Orland Park on the ice at the Allstate Arena. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania. First-Place Wolves roll in San Antonio Entertainment
Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady with seniors residents of the Township who enjoy all of the Townships many senior services. Photo courtesy of Orland Township Orland Township Senior Activities returning to full services Baby Boomers
Cook County Sherif Tom Dart Sheriff Dart, State Sen. Collins Propose Legislation to Ban Ghost Guns Chicago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • OPINION
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays
    August 27, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language
    August 8, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    How My Office Handles Billions — And Protects Every Penny
    July 25, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast on Trump’s problems with Jeffrey Epstein, Netanyahu’s coalition in jeopardy
    July 19, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Everything you need to know about your Property Index Number or PIN
    July 12, 2025
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • NEWS
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Former Chicago Attorney Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Tax Fraud and Witness Tampering
    August 28, 2025
  • Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar with Chicago region veterans. No one supports veterans more than Aguilar
    Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar honors veterans at first of monthly VetConnect Workshops at district office
    August 28, 2025
  • Coffee & Conversation for the public on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, featuring two speakers who will address individual fatigue and how to empower your personal health and activism.
    Orland Fire hosts Coffee & Conversation on individual fatigue and personal health
    August 28, 2025
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Man Sentenced to a Year and a Half in Federal Prison for Covid-Relief Fraud
    August 28, 2025
  • Photo submitted by Jeffery M. Leving and Associates
    Leving team protected dad’s daughter from danger and restored his peace of mind
    August 28, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme