Suggestions on charities who feed the needy

Hi,

This time of year, people think about giving back.

What charities or food pantries do you favor for your donations? Do they accept canned or fresh food, and/or a check. These can be places where a meal is served or people can collect food to cook at home.

For those who want to offer time instead of cash or in-kind donaitons, what volunteer opportunities do you recommend?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Regards,

The Feed the Homeless Program at North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe is always looking for cash donations and volunteers for the monthly food preparation and delivery/serving. We feed approximately 350-400 people monthly. Delivery and serving goes to shelters. Interested? Shoot me a PM. Thanks for posting C2!

There are a number of organizations I support, both here in Chicago and around the world.

Food for the Poor is an excellent organization and has a wonderful "Gift Catalog" that offers gifts you give in the name of someone else. Gifts range from small to large, and include buying a family a chicken, sending a kid to school for a year (only $20), job training, or for a few grand, a whole new life (goats, job training, up to four kids in school, and a warm, safe house).
http://www.foodforthepoor.org/

Food for the Hungry is another great organization -- and they, too, have a Christmas catalog that offers everything from health care to schooling to clean water to goats.
http://www.fh.org/give/catalog

Here in Chicago, I support Olive Branch Mission, which offers shelter for the homeless, meals for the needy, counseling and drug rehab for the trapped, refuge and empowerment for women, job training, and whatever else might be needed to get people back on their feet.
http://www.obmission.org/

Of course, I realize there are many other organizations busily working to help those in need, but these are the three to which I regularly contribute.

We have supported the Greater Chicago Food Depository for a number of years and have volunteered there to pack food as well. It is an amazing organization that collects food, coordinates distribution of food for the Chicago region, and educates unskilled people for food service jobs as well as food pantry staff. You can volunteer as an individual or as part of a group (which is how we have gone). The Depository has an excellent website that lists volunteer opportunities there and at their member agencies (neighborhood food pantries and the like). If you are looking to make your food-donation dollar go far, I can highly recommend the Depository.

Great Chicago Food Depository
4100 W. Ann Lurie Place
Chicago, IL 60632
773.247.3663
http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/Pa ... e=homepage

For list of volunteer opportunities at member agencies: http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/Pa ... _volunteer

Many of these charities are well-known and get a fair amount of support, but as I am able, I try to support the Howard Area Community Center, who has been serving quietly for over 40 years (actually, it's the same age as me - so 40-ish.)

They request the following items, which need to be delivered to their location:

- Of particular need are items high in protein, such as canned meats (tuna, salmon, etc.) beef stew, chili, peanut butter,
- Also needed are canned vegetables and fruits, canned soup, rice, pasta, beans, cereal, jams and jellies, mayonnaise,
- Food for homeless individuals such as “pop-top” cans of tuna, Vienna sausages, fruit cups, peanut butter crackers,cheese crackers

- Personal care and home items such as toilet paper,feminine hygiene products,diapers,toothpaste,toothbrushes,laundry detergent
razors,soap,deodorant ,9 Volt batteries,smoke detectors,flashlights
- Homeless individuals also appreciate sample size or hotel size personal care items.

Please no expired or partially used items. We also discourage desserts and candies.

Mhays wrote:Many of these charities are well-known and get a fair amount of support, but as I am able, I try to support the Howard Area Community Center, who has been serving quietly for over 40 years (actually, it's the same age as me - so 40-ish.)

I second HACC.

For those more interested in giving time and skills and perhaps forming a longer-term relationship with an organization that addresses hunger, I recommend checking out the volunteer opportunities organized by Chicago Cares. It's a great way to "shop around" for an organization with which you might like to get more involved or simply to volunteer with different organizations as your schedule permits.

Just looking at Chicago Cares' current calendar, volunteers are needed for projects with the following hunger/food-related organizations:

(just a sampling--sorry not enough time to link to all of the orgs)
- Groceryland South/Vital Bridges in Greater Grand Crossing
- Healthy Start at Ella Flagg Young School in Austin
- Hyde Park/Kenwood Food Pantry
- Inspiration Cafe in Uptown
- Lakeview Pantry West
- Living Room Cafe in Woodlawn
- Open Door Shelter in West Town
- REST Shelter in Uptown
- Senior Breakfast Club at CHA housing in West Town (includes bingo--this project is ridiculously fun)

Chicago Cares also serves the Greater Chicago Food Depository and HACC (though for tutoring, not food). I am a team leader with Chicago Cares and, of course, think my project is the coolest. I'd be happy to have LTHers cook with me at Chicago Women's AIDS Project's Blue House Diner any time.

Projects fill up very quickly at this time of year, so sign up early.

We've got several groups here in DuPage.

Peoples Resource Center in Wheaton
Northern Illinois Food Bank in St. Charles

My personal choice:
United Community Concerns, into its 33rd year of giving assistance to families and seniors in Elmhurst
Contact person: Susie Sands: 630-941-8116, no web site.

Instead of wracking my brain to come up with the next "hot" gift for my siblings, I instead donate a food basket in each of their names to the Southwest Indian Foundation. It has turkey, beans, cornmeal and other staple items consumed by the native Americans in/around Gallup, NM.

We also usually contribute to Heifer, Inc. This donation can be directed to specific regions of the world and we've almost always picked Ethiopia where my sister-in-law is from.

Also, if you don't want to go too far afield, every church I know of has a food pantry or a program to hand out food to area poor. So you may want to check with neighborhood churches. Lot of people in trouble close to home.

Shelters like Animal Welfare League also collect pet food to be distributed to those in their community unable to afford food for their dogs/cats/etc. I know it may seem frivolous compared to the needs of hungry people but maybe one of each wouldn't be out of the question for those seeking to provide for those less fortunate during the holidays.

For many years, preparing a meal at Inspiration Cafe and the Living Room were a favorite charitable event for members of LTH. As one who served on the board of Inspiration at the time, I know that the volunteer efforts of this group had a profound impact on the lives of the program pareticipants.

Inspiration Cafe
4554 N. Broadway
Suite 207
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 773-878-0981
Fax: 773-878-3114

The Living Room Cafe
806 E. 64th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-643-6018
Fax: 773-643-4844

If you want something back for your donation, a couple of options:

The Hideout hosts Soup and Bread on Wednesdays where guest chefs (amateur and pro) serve soup and collect money for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. They're starting up 1/5/2011 according to their site:
http://soupnbread.wordpress.com/about-soup-and-bread/

If you're interested in shopping at CB2, they're offering 15% off (including furniture) for bringing in seven non-perishable food items for the Lakeview Pantry, 11/8 through 11/24:
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2010/11/1/can- ... -2010.html