IN THE NEWS: Beyond Hunger, CPD officers partner to deliver 100 bags of groceries to vulnerable seniors
Nearly two dozen Chicago police officers visited Oak Park’s Beyond Hunger food pantry March 31 to collect meals for some of the most vulnerable residents in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.
The 15th Precinct officers showed up at First United Church of Oak Park, where Beyond Hunger is based, to pick up 100 bags of groceries to be delivered to Chicago’s west side.Officers in the 15th Precinct have been regularly delivering food to needy seniors, and have longed to partner with Beyond Hunger.
“We’ve been doing this for a number of years now,” Chicago police Commander Yolanda Talley said. “Because of COVID-19, the need has increased. We started reaching out to people we could partner with that could donate food and Beyond Hunger said we have 100 bags of food for you. Since mid-March, seniors living in Austin have picked up more than 350 meals through the police department, Talley said, adding the precinct also partners with Friendship Baptist Church, Hope Community Church and local grocers to feed its needy residents. “At the start of the pandemic, we reached out to 400 seniors to check in and see if they were okay,” Talley said. “Those who said they needed food or toiletries, they became priority ones.” Talley said priority one seniors are those who live alone, have no immediate family or face certain health conditions that make leaving their homes a challenge.
“In the district, we have more than 200 priority ones we need to get food to,” Talley said. “With that, each person was given two bags of food. You’d be surprised at what people need. This is why food pantries exist, but sometimes people don’t know where to go.”
Beyond Hunger program manager Adriana Riano said the bags of food included milk, eggs, fresh produce, cereal, bread and dry goods.
“They’re the staple items that are needed in every household,” Riano said. “Obviously, we want to help people during this hard time. It seemed like the perfect partnership to provide these meals.” According to Riano, Beyond Hunger provides food in a similar fashion to seniors in Oak Park through Oak Park Township, but said 60 percent of the pantry’s clients come from the Austin neighborhood.
In addition to delivering meals directly to the seniors, officers also took bags of food to the police station, where residents could come in to pick them up.
“They’re so appreciative,” Talley said. “I went out to make a few deliveries and these seniors are in tears saying ‘Don’t forget about me.’ I said we won’t and that we’ll be checking up on them. We do follow-ups; either we make calls or knock on the door to make sure they’re okay. Everyone wanted to help and was excited about it.”