ASLC Food Pantry Food Drive: Donate In Palatine

PALATINE, IL — The community is invited to participate in a food drive supporting a local food pantry happening Sunday in Palatine. Between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, donations to help stock the shelves at Partners for Our Communities can be brought to All Saints Lutheran Church (ASLC), 630 S. Quentin Road, or Partners for Our Communities, 1585 N. Rand Road. According to ASLC, you can drive through at either location and people will be on hand to unload donation items from your car.

According to ASLC, the food pantry has served about 175 families each week since mid-March, a massive increase from the nearly 35 families per week before the coronavirus pandemic.

ASLC said they'll also be doing drive-through "Return to Learning" blessings at All Saints during those hours, and all are welcome. The church asks that participants bring their book bag, learning/technology device, or just yourself, and they'll provide prayers of blessing and special treats for you to bring home.

ASLC has also been a PADS emergency shelter for decades, and every Saturday night during the cold weather months, volunteers feed homeless men, women and children, Tom Germuska, Co-Site Director for PADS and Summer Suppers at ASLC, told Patch.

According to Germuska, the faith-based shelters were closed during mid-March, and Journeys | The Road Home shelter housed their clients in nearby hotels, and turned to the churches to feed them. For 15 weeks, ASLC provided food for three dozen guests in the hotels.

"Early Saturday morning volunteers delivered a simple breakfast (cold cereal with milk, muffin, yogurt) and lunch (two sandwiches, fruit cup, granola bar and a bottle of water) to the guests in the hotels," Germuska told Patch. "For dinners our volunteers picked up hot meals purchased from nearby restaurants, added cookies or a brownie for dessert and a canned beverage and delivered them to the hotels. In both cases the volunteers made a contactless delivery by knocking on the door, announcing the meal drop-off, leaving the bag and walking away."

In July, their participation in an eight-year-old ecumenical project to feed people with food insecurity during the summer shifted from gathering around tables inside the church to a drive through model, Germuska said. He added that once a month, they've offered a simple supper with a brownie or piece of cake for dessert a piece of fresh fruit, granola bar and water to those who drove up to the church, where volunteers would pass the meal to drivers on a tray.

In addition, they've provided a couple of dozen meals for the guests who are still in hotels, all delivered by Journeys’ volunteers, Germuska added.

Starting in October, Germuska said the plan is to provide meals on the second Saturday of the month for the homeless men, women and children still being housed in the hotels, with other faith communities and community donors provided meals on other days.

>> Local Church A Drop-Off Site For Palatine Food Pantry Necessities

Germuska said they continue to feed PADS guests in the hotels and people with food inequalities via their drive through Summer Suppers. All Saints' next Summer Supper night is Wednesday, during which they'll send 25 meals to Journeys' guests in the hotels at 6 p.m., and prepare to distribute another 40 to 50 meals in the church's parking lot drive through between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

In addition, several ASLC members have convenience boxes on their porches since the pandemic started, where neighbors can drop off their donations to be delivered to the food pantry, according to Germuska.

More information and updates: All Saints Lutheran Church, 847-991-2080.

Patch News Partner/Shutterstock

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.

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See also:

• Millions Made Hungry By Pandemic Could Include Your Neighbor
• Palatine Heroes: Help Patch Recognize Those Making A Difference