An organized, intentional way to help the community
By Jennifer Yos
LANSING, Ill. (March 11, 2021) – The Lansing Community Food Pantry has been helping Lansing residents for nearly 40 years. Located in the basement of the Lansing Assembly at the corner of Ridge Road and Chicago Avenue, the pantry is open on Tuesdays to serve the community.
Giving to the food pantry
Anyone interested in donating food items or in giving their time as a pantry volunteer may call the Lansing Food Pantry at its new phone number 708-446-9298. Donation drop-offs are preferred on Mondays between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. or on Tuesdays between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Only food items that have not yet expired are accepted. The pantry is currently in need of the following canned items: meat, fish, fruit, tomato sauce (small cans), chili beans, and chili. Supplies are especially needed during the summer months between May and November.
Receiving from the food pantry
The first time Lansing residents come to visit the pantry as individuals or as a family in need of food items, they must show proof that they live in Lansing. They then fill out an application form and schedule a follow-up appointment to submit paperwork necessary to allow subsequent visits. The required paperwork includes a picture ID, a utility bill with name and address, a cable bill, a cellphone bill, and one month of a current or past paycheck (or disability, unemployment, social security check, etc.) of each member of the household. On this first visit, they receive one bag of non-perishable items and one bag of perishable items.
Thereafter, qualifying Food Pantry recipients may choose for themselves the food staples they need. A variety of staples are always available, as are vouchers for a free gallon of milk from Strack and VanTil’s. There are also non-staple items available. The amount of items allowed per visit is based on the number of eligible recipients per family.
Recipients may visit twice a month on Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in accordance with the pantry schedule, which is based alphabetically on recipients’ last names: A – K visits the first and third Tuesdays of each month; L – Z visits the second and fourth Tuesdays. In the event there is a fifth Tuesday in the month, all eligible recipients may visit.
The Lansing Community Food Pantry currently serves approximately 70 to 100 Lansing families each month. It is located at 2990 Ridge Road in Lansing.
Related
- District 158 food drive keeps Roundball charitable spirit alive (March 4, 2021)
- Lansing Community Food Pantry recaps year of generosity (November 11, 2020)
Great article highlighting a worthwhile organization in our proud town.
The Lansing Journal should spend time writing articles about organizations and people that are interesting, helpful and have a positive impact instead of the “Covid diaries”. Those Covid personal column stories are written well and that writing should be harnessed to capture human interest stories that promote positive vibes in our town. INSTEAD the “Covid diaries” are a waste of time of the writer and reader. DO BETTER LJ.
Thank you for your feedback Smilja. You might not be aware that many of our readers appreciate the amount and variety of COVID information we publish, and we will continue to serve them by providing that information. We asked Carrie Steinweg if she would be willing to write a column, recognizing what a unique opportunity she represented for our readers—a journalist with personal experience of COVID-19. Her writing has been valuable for people who have suffered COVID’s impact, as well as for those who haven’t but want to understand it better. Moreover, the time that Carrie spends on her column has not prevented her from also using her skills and experience to highlight other news in our town. You might enjoy the lengthy article she wrote about Tom Dreesen and his local roots, or her review of the Van Gogh exhibit downtown, or her story about Restaurant Week in our area. You can review all her articles here: Author: Carrie Steinweg
The advantage of receiving headlines via our Daily News email is that you can choose which stories you want to click on and read, and you don’t have to “waste your time” reading anything that doesn’t interest you!
Thank you LANSING JOURNAL,for covering many events, groups, organizations, here in LANSING, you give helpful, informative positive information on all subjects. YOU SERVE LANSING WELL, I appreciate your overall awareness of what the community wants. FOREVER A SUPPORTER AND READER
We are grateful for your faithful monthly support, Marilyn—and your encouragement too! That kind of investment from our community is what keeps this newspaper going. 🙂