ENGLEWOOD — An Englewood food pantry has reopened for the new year to serve neighbors who need groceries and other essentials.
The IMAN Food and Wellness Center, 1216 W. 63rd St., a food pantry created by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, is stocked with fresh produce, meat and Halal options, as well as personal protective equipment, cleaning materials and personal hygiene products.
Residents can stop by the pantry 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m. Thursdays and 9-11 a.m. Saturdays.
The Inner-City Muslim Action Network opened the food pantry this summer thanks to a grant from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The food pantry has a “client choice model,” which gives neighbors the option to push around a cart and grab materials rather than being handed a box of food.
The goal is to create an environment where community members can “come in and choose what they want like they’re shopping at a grocery store with some dignity,” community organizer Ahmad Jitan previously said.
“This is not just a place for food distribution, but a place for building sustainable communities around food,” Jitan said.
The pantry is across the street from the group’s upcoming Englewood Fresh Market, which aims to increase community access to healthy food with locally sourced produce and meals from local chefs.
Organizers say the market is still in the works.
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