A Little Village faith-based nonprofit is opening a food pantry in the community to help supply food to families struggling from food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Unsplash
A Little Village faith-based nonprofit is opening a food pantry in the community to help supply food to families struggling from food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Unsplash
A Little Village faith-based nonprofit is opening a food pantry in the community to help supply food to families struggling from food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Life Centers plans to open the food pantry this year at 2701 S. Lawndale Ave., Executive Director Matt DeMateo told Block Club Chicago. The pantry is opening to help the residents of Little Village that are struggling to provide food due to unemployment of financial instability, he said.
New Life Centers was able to purchase the building for the food pantry with the help of partners and donors. The nonprofit plans to name the food pantry El Mercado, DeMateo told Block Club Chicago.
“The need is massive,” DeMateo told Block Club Chicago. “We’ve seen it rise even more.”
The food pantry will be set up like a grocery store so that Little Village residents can choose their own food.
“It will be client choice,” DeMateo told Block Club Chicago.
The food pantry will also have a second floor where residents can receive help from staff to connect with longer-term services to help them during the pandemic.
“It’s all community-designed, community-built, so we are excited for that,” DeMateo told Block Club Chicago. “We want to wrap around the whole family and try to walk with them."
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