Construction To Start On Glen Ellyn Food Pantry's New Location

GLEN ELLYN, IL — After months of anticipation, construction crews are set to start transforming the 100-year-old parsonage at Faith Lutheran Church into the future headquarters of Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. Helmed by Green Light Construction Group, construction will officially begin Oct. 4 and is expected to last into spring 2022.

The long-awaited move will mean more space and greater service opportunities for Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, which has operated from a shared space inside Grace Lutheran Church since 1979.

Faith Lutheran Church donated the parsonage to Glen Ellyn Food Pantry in 2019. Shortly after, the pantry began a fundraising campaign that yielded more than $900,000 from community members and local organizations as of March 2021. Food pantry officials gathered in May 2021 for a groundbreaking ceremony outside the parsonage.

Once construction wraps, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry's new home will feature 5,609 square feet of space, a two-story warehouse and amenities that are compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Its future location along the Roosevelt Road corridor will also make the food pantry easier to get to for more people in need.

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry's connection to the community it serves will be evident in the new space's design. The entryway to the new food pantry will be lined with bricks bought and personalized by donors. The pantry will also retain a plaque that has been hanging in the parsonage and reads, Cead Mile Failte, a Gaelic phrase that roughly means, "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes."

Founded by a youth group in 1979, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry got its start working out of a closet space to collect, store and provide basic food staples to those in need. The pantry serves a dozen DuPage County municipalities, including Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Glendale Heights, Addison, Lombard, Lisle, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Warrenville, Villa Park, Winfield and West Chicago.

Learn more about Glen Ellyn Food Pantry's journey:

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Breaks Ground, 'Touched' By Local Support
Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Nears Goal For New Headquarters

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.