Lakeview Pantry Names New Executive Director

Lakeview Pantry, one of Chicago’s largest food pantries, is pleased to announce that Kellie O’Connell is joining the organization as its new Executive Director. O’Connell brings 18 years of leadership in the non-profit and social service sectors to her new role.

O’Connell joins Lakeview Pantry at a significant juncture in its history of service to Lakeview and surrounding neighborhoods. A fixture in the community since 1970, Lakeview Pantry recently purchased a 7,500-square-foot building at 3945 North Sheridan Road, which will serve as its new home. The building’s first floor will house food distribution operations. The second floor will feature private and group meeting spaces, allowing staff to work with clients to assess food, healthcare, employment and housing needs. Lakeview Pantry’s new headquarters is slated to open in summer 2016.

Most recently, O’Connell served as Director of Advancement for Northwestern Settlement House. She has eight years of experience at the Chicago Housing Authority, where she served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and Public Affairs. She also spearheaded an innovative, multi-agency collaborative project for Illinois Action for Children.

”Kellie has devoted her career to assisting others and to helping non-profit organizations like ours translate vision into measurable outcomes for the people we serve,” according to Dan Laytin, President of Lakeview Pantry’s board of directors. “As we prepare to move into our new home, we are thrilled to welcome Kellie’s leadership. She brings expertise in strategic planning, operations, program development, fundraising and communications. Kellie will help us establish even deeper roots within the community and identify the best ways to further our mission,” explained Laytin.

O’Connell succeeds Lakeview Pantry’s longtime leader Gary Garland, who will transition from Executive Director to the role of Executive Director Emeritus. In this new role, Garland will explore innovative ways to educate stakeholders on food insecurity and poverty and strengthen the field by sharing lessons learned during Lakeview Pantry’s 46-year history.

“Lakeview Pantry has been an exceptional asset to the community,” said O’Connell. “In addition to providing emergency food assistance and other critical services to residents of Lakeview and surrounding areas, the organization provides hope and stability for our neighbors. I am honored to join the dedicated team at Lakeview Pantry as we launch what promises to be the most exciting, and impactful, time in our storied history,” said O’Connell.

About Lakeview Pantry
Lakeview Pantry’s mission is to eliminate hunger in the community by: providing food to fill the basic need of hungry people, increasing the independence of clients through self-help initiatives and other innovative programs, and raising awareness of hunger and poverty and working towards solutions to eliminate them.

Who and How Lakeview Pantry Serves
Lakeview Pantry serves more than 8,200 people annually. In 2015, the organization distributed approximately 1.6 million pounds of food. In the Lakeview neighborhood, nearly 1 in 9 individuals struggles with poverty and food insecurity. At its current Lakeview Pantry East location on North Broadway, food distribution takes place three times each week. Clients receive a two-week supply of groceries during each pantry visit. Lakeview Pantry offers home delivery of groceries for elderly, disabled and homebound clients. Lakeview Pantry staff and volunteers also assist clients in obtaining other needed social services such as employment, healthcare, housing and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits. In addition to the Broadway location, Lakeview Pantry serves clients at a satellite location at 1414 West Oakdale. For more information about Lakeview Pantry, visit www.lakeviewpantry.org.

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