Food Pantry News

Hope Food Distribution was pleased to assist 2 of Lake County's new neighbors, recently moved from Afghanistan! Our friends are settling into their new home in Highland Park and being supported by several area Episcopal Churches .  HFDS was able to donate Halal chickens and grocery store gift cards to get their kitchen stocked! 

Hope Food Distribution Services, NFP

2021 Annual Summary

2021 started with a record number of neighbors receiving food bags in a drive through format. In January we served 183 families for a total of 625 individuals! We were open every Saturday at the beginning of the pandemic but then made the decision in early 2021 to close on the first Saturday of each month to give us time to thoroughly clean and shop for hard to find items and restock our shelves. 

Our numbers were high throughout the spring but began to drop off by summer 2021.  In September we made the decision to bring back a “Choice” format. Our neighbors now are able to come into the Narthex and select their items from tables of food. By allowing just 4 neighbors in at a time we have been able to social distance while still providing the opportunity for people to choose their own food instead of being handed a pre-packed bag. 

I would like to sincerely thank all the pantry volunteers who have continued to show up, cheerful and enthusiastic, despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and regularly changing procedures!

The Hope Food Pantry was open 34 Saturdays in 2021 and served an average of 36 households each week. We gave away 1784 gallons of milk, 711 dozen eggs and over 73,000 pounds of shelf stable food, produce, meat, bread and personal care items. In addition, we also distributed baby and adult diapers as needed. 

Hope Food Distribution also provides continuing support to El Puente Latino food pantry in Waukegan, the Lake County Haven, the Roberti Community House and the SHARE market, a food pantry serving the students at the College of Lake County.

To sign up for 2022 volunteer spots, please use the link on our website, www.thehopefoodpantry.org.

I would like to thank and recognize several businesses and groups who have had food drives for the pantry or made monetary donations:

Village Green Montessori Baxter Corporation

Lions Club of Lake Forest Lake Bluff Abbvie

Hollister Corp The Benevity Community Impact Fund

Hearing Associates of Libertyville Abbott Labs

Hope Food Distribution Board of Directors 2022

Chris Heier - President

Jeanne Lasheff - Treasurer

Mike Hazen - Director

Jill Souers - Director

Betsy Barnett - Secretary 

Director, Hope Food Pantry