Food Pantry Offering Free Groceries to Furloughed Gov't Workers

Woodridge, IL – West Suburban Community Pantry is offering furloughed workers free groceries.
While back pay has been approved for furloughed workers, many federal employees still face challenges in paying for rent, groceries and other bills that will accumulate while the government is shutdown continues.
West Suburban Community Pantry is offering to help with one of those bills. The Pantry is offering any furloughed worker two weeks’ worth of groceries. Workers must present a valid government ID to receive the groceries.
“Many furloughed workers might not think they qualify for a food pantry and under normal circumstances, they might not. The partial government shutdown has created a unique and urgent situation, so our agency is prepared to offer our services to those impacted” said Pantry Executive Director, Laura Coyle.
Following the lead of Lakeview Pantry in the city of Chicago, West Suburban Community Pantry will be temporarily waiving requirements for furloughed workers and allowing them access to groceries and fresh produce at their Woodridge based facility located at 6809 Hobson Valley Dr., Unit 118.
Nationwide, some 800,000 workers, more than half of them still on the job, missed their first paychecks last Friday under the partial government shutdown that began December 22, 2018.
Furloughed workers will be eligible to receive fresh produce, milk, eggs, meats and shelf stable food items through the Pantry. WSCP is available to clients twice a month for groceries and fresh produce is available weekly. Other services, such as mobile pantries that serve families in central locations, are also available to federal employees. West Suburban Community Pantry hosts mobile pantries in Romeoville, Bolingbrook and Willowbrook. A schedule can be found at www.wscpantry.org.
About West Suburban Community Pantry:
West Suburban Community Pantry (WSCP) serves food insecure individuals and families throughout DuPage County and in the towns of Bolingbrook and Romeoville. WSCP started as a small food pantry in the 1970’s, and was formally incorporated in 1992. Today, WSCP carries on this work in response to the growing need and in keeping with their mission: WSCP offers food for the hungry and resource to empower person to improve their quality of life. Their vision is a community without hunger. Therefore they provide food for the hungry, educate the donor community about existing needs, and support advocacy efforts for the hungry. During fiscal year 2018, WSCP distributed 1.6 million pounds of food and served 47,198 people (including 18,638 children and 6,366 seniors). WSCP serves an average of 4,000 people perishable and non-perishable food each month. In addition to food distribution, WSCP provides a variety of supplemental programs and resources to empower their most vulnerable clients to improve their quality of life.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura Coyle
West Suburban Community Pantry
Phone: (630) 948-8131
Email: ltcoyle@wscpantry.org