Traffic keeps growing at OPRF food pantry
Dec 21, 2010
For the last five years, staff and volunteers at the Oak Park and River Forest Food Pantry have tried to beef up operations to serve an ever-expanding population. But it isn’t always easy. For a group that relies heavily on donations from the public, keeping food in people’s kitchens is a daunting task. “The Saturday before Thanksgiving, we had 341 people come to us,” said Kathy Russell, the food pantry’s executive director. “We have never had more than 275 (on a single Saturday).” Since 2005, the number of people coming to the pantry has grown. It now serves about 1,400 people on the West Side of Chicago and the western Cook County suburbs. Click here for full story