“We want people to know that we’re here. We have all this food!”
Diane Hurstak-Eddy has been running the food pantry for over twenty years.
By Irene Romulo
Update: For a list of other food pantries open to Cicero and Berwyn residents during the pandemic click here.
On Tuesdays at 8:00 am, volunteers are usually busy moving boxes full of 6,000 pounds of food from the alley into the basement at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, at 1937 S 50th Ave in Cicero, where the Cicero Berwyn Stickney (CBS) Food Pantry is located. Although the pantry has been around for 30 years, volunteers say that not enough people are taking advantage of the resource.
Diane Hurstak-Eddy has been running the food pantry for over twenty years. Volunteers refer to her as the “coordinator of chaos” for making sure everything runs smoothly on Tuesdays when the pantry is open.
She says that despite coronavirus fears the pantry will remain open for those in need.
“This is when people need us the most so we won’t close until they let us know that we can’t do it anymore,” Hurstak-Eddy said.
The pantry will be taking extra precautions for the next few weeks to ensure that volunteers and families stay safe. Instead of congregating in the church basement, for example, people will be asked to wait in line outside of the church and only ten will be allowed inside at a time. All volunteers, the majority of whom are elderly, will be wearing gloves and masks and they have been provided with hand sanitizer.
People will take home canned goods as well as fresh vegetables and fruits.
What kind of food can people get?
The food pantry usually has between 5,000-6,000 pounds of food including meal basics like milk, eggs, bread and frozen meats. They also order at least 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to ensure that people have balanced meals.
Who can take advantage of these free groceries?
Anyone who lives in Cicero, Berwyn or Stickney can come on Tuesdays between 2 and 5:30 in the afternoon to pick up groceries. If someone doesn’t live in these areas they can get food the first time but they will be referred to a pantry near their home. People can only come every other Tuesday but there are no other restrictions on how often they stop by.
Additionally, people must meet the federal poverty guidelines to receive food. This means that the maximum monthly gross income for a family of one must not be higher than $1,926, $2,607 for a family of two, $3,289 for a family of three, $3,970 for a family of four and $4,652 for a family of five.
What information will people have to provide?
“We created an ID system here because we saw that a lot of the clients did not have their own identification because of their status or not enough money to pay for one. All you need to bring is the ID card that we created or a piece of mail that has your name and address,” explained Hurstak-Eddy. “We’ll ask for the names and birthdays of children and utilities but it’s on the honesty system. We don’t want to eliminate giving people food just because they don’t have something.”
Who has access to this information?
The CBS food pantry is part of the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). A GCFD spokesperson confirmed that personal information that is collected by their community partners is not shared with any other agency or organization outside of the GCFD.
Further, people can refuse to provide any of the information if it makes them uncomfortable. According to the spokesperson, Greg Trotter, “ The Food Depository’s network of community partners and programs proudly serves anyone and everyone, regardless of immigration status. No one should go hungry.”
Hurstak-Eddy confirmed that, “Demographic information is the only stuff that gets sent out so race, age, male or female. The rest stays here in our two computers and only two of us have keys for the room where they are stored.”
Who uses the food pantry?
The food pantry currently serves about 75-100 families a week but has capacity for more. Hurstak-Eddy explained that 85% of the people who they see are Latinx but there’s a growing Black and senior population.
“Most of the people that come here are working poor people. They don’t make enough to make their money last. They are on minimum wage and they have families. If they have children they get meals at school but what about when they’re not in school? That’s why we're here,” said Hurstak-Eddy.
Does it cost volunteers any money to run the food pantry?
Hurstak-Eddy explained that they do not receive any money from the Town of Cicero or Berwyn. Rather all of their money is raised through private donations, churches and organizations. It costs them about $200 in processing fees to receive 6,000 pounds of food but they expect this cost to grow in the coming weeks.
Consider making a monetary donation by going to their website at www.cbsfoodpantry.org or by making a check to “CBS Food Pantry”. If you have any questions you can call 708-863-4913 to speak with a volunteer. Gethsemane Lutheran Church is located at 1937 S 50th Ave, Cicero, IL 60804.
