- Credibility:
EDGEWATER — An Edgewater charity is providing nighttime grocery distribution to help the increasing number of working people who need food assistance.
Care For Real, 5339 N. Sheridan Road, now offers food distribution 4-7 p.m. Mondays. It used to offer the distribution in the mornings. The change went into effect this month.
The change comes after a community survey showed more working people needed food pantry access during non-daytime hours, Executive Director Gregory Gross said.
Care For Real saw a 73 percent increase in pantry visits in 2021 over 2020, when food insecurity skyrocketed during the pandemic. Many of the pantry’s visitors work but still require food assistance, Gross said.
“With rising food costs, child care and health care costs, people aren’t able to make ends meet,” Gross said. “Also, with the eviction moratorium having ended, people have had to redirect income to housing.”
To meet that increased need, Care for Real previously opened a pop-up food pantry in Rogers Park. It is open noon-2 p.m. Tuesdays at 1545 W. Morse Ave. The group then added a drive-thru food pantry to the Rogers Park operation, which takes place 4-6 p.m. Thursdays at 6921 N. Ashland Ave.
Care For Real marked 50 years of operation last year and celebrated with a fundraiser that took in more than $100,000.
For more on Care For Real, click here.
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