For the past ten years, United Community Concerns Association (UCCA) has been providing food for Elmhurst families in need by sponsoring a Mobile Food Pantry. Every May, July, and September, a food truck from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, holding approximately 5,000 pounds of food, arrives at the City of Elmhurst Public Works Facility. Volunteers unload the truck, while families line up to shop. Items to choose from have included meat, pizza, bread, crackers, cereal, cheese, fresh vegetables, fruit juice, canned soup, yogurt, and desserts. In recent years, the Faith Christian Reformed Church has supplemented the food products by collecting soap, shampoo, and toothpaste.
At the most recent Food Pantry on September 17, 30 volunteers, comprised of UCCA board members and Elmhurst residents, considered as Friends of the UCCA, stood ready to unload the food, assist families in selecting items, and help them get the food to their cars. Just in this past year, over 200 Elmhurst families have been served.
The UCCA is most grateful to Mr. James Grabowski, City Manager, for making the City of Elmhurst Public Works Facility available for the pantries, and to Cori Tiberi, Assistant Director of Public Works, and her staff, for generously managing the on-site details. With their assistance, and the help of all the volunteers, the Mobile Food Pantry has been successful in serving Elmhurst families.
