Food pantry restocked as Kiwanis drive beats expectations  

Responding to an October call for help from the Howard Mohr Community Center’s food pantry that its shelves were about bare, Forest Park rose up Saturday and took care of that problem – at least for the moment. 

The community center asked the Kiwanis Club of Forest Park to mount a quick-turnaround food drive, and its members and many other volunteers and local businesses stood up.  

“The morning of the drive, we had over 20 volunteers driving and walking around collecting food that was placed on porches, stoops and outside of apartments,” said Jill Wagner, president of the Kiwanis Club of Forest Park. Back at the community center, she said, “Six students from the Honors Society from Fenwick High School helped to unload cars, sort the donations and keep the good cheer moving along.  The response was amazing and in one hour, the tables and carts were overflowing with needed food that will last for many, many months. This was a day all of Forest Park should be very proud of.” 

Wagner is the circulation manager of Growing Community Media, which publishes the Review.   

Several local businesses participated in the food drive including Forest Park Bank, O’Sullivan’s Public House, Twisted Cookie, the Forest Park Public Library, Bloc Dispensary, Schauer’s Hardware, Printing Plus and Shanahan’s, many of which still have boxes out to collect more food. Living Fresh and the Meat Counter also donated to the community center.  

And from now through Dec. 22, Local 2753, the Forest Park firefighter union, is hosting its second annual fill-the-truck holiday food drive. Donations can be dropped off at the fire station and will be given to the community center. Most-needed items include canned goods, pasta and rice, pureed foods, condiments and spices, boxed meals and other nonperishable food items. 

Commissioner Maria Maxham announced the fill-the-truck food drive during her commissioner’s comment at the end of the Nov. 10 council meeting.  

Maxham said she was talking with firefighters last year “about the food pantry and how they have all these needs, and they immediately said, ‘How can we help?’” 

Also at the Nov. 10 council meeting, Maxham gave a shout out to Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin for hosting a recent meeting for leaders around Proviso Township to discuss hunger in the area and how communities can support each other.  

“I cannot take any credit at all for the network of people who are coming together,” Melin-Rogovin said during her commissioner’s comment. “There are a lot of efforts going on in Forest Park and our communities at large to help address the cut in SNAP benefits and the impact on communities in need . . . We know that there is basically a doubling and a tripling of folks who are going to food pantries. And even though legislatively we are aware that some SNAP benefits and food benefits have been restored, it’s not enough.” 

Melin-Rogovin called anyone who’s looking to help to get involved with volunteering their time or donating food items. 

“Certainly, supporting our Forest Park community is important, but we’re going to be putting on fundraisers and friend-raisers and food-raisers to address this issue short- and long-term,” Melin-Rogovin said.