Northwestern College’s Chicago Campus Students Conduct Food Drive for Local Food Pantry

Yuri Villalobos of Northwestern College’s Student Services Office and Chicago Campus Director Todd LaSota stand before partially filled donation boxes for Jireh Pantry set out in the College’s Student Services reception area.

Northwestern College’s Chicago Campus students have organized a Food Drive that spans from Thanksgiving through New Years in hopes of assisting local Chicago families. Donation boxes were set out on November 20 around the College’s Jefferson Park Campus and will remain in place through December 31, with all proceeds collected to go to Jireh Pantry. The Jireh Food Pantry is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with Jesus Word Center.

Students are asking for donations of any non-perishable foods. Donations of any and all can goods, ramen noodles, beef jerky, package nuts, and bags of rice, beans etc. are particularly needed, but all donations are welcomed in hopes of helping local families in need.

With a theme of “Give Thanks and Give Hope,” Northwestern College students are concerned with the rise of hunger rapidly increasing in Chicago, noting that statistic show that 1 in 3 people are “food insecure.” With the need for food being at an all-time high, they see that many Chicago families depend on food pantries and other community resources to feed their families. Students selected Jireh Food Pantry to direct this year’s donations to, and while Jireh provides food for area families, it also provides clothing and other necessities.

Donation boxes for Jireh Food Pantry have been placed in Northwestern College’s Library in the College’s Main Building located at 4811 N. Milwaukee Avenue as well as in the Student Services Department reception area in the 4829 N. Lipps Avenue building. This season’s food drive will conclude on Thursday, December 31.