The Village of Park Forest is partnering with Meals in the Meantime to organize a pop-up food pantry on April 20., at 409 Main Street. The event will provide fresh, healthy, and high-quality groceries to those in need, and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Anyone who requires food assistance is welcome to participate. Margaret Lewis, the Assistant Director of Recreation, Parks & Community Health, believes that this partnership will greatly benefit the community.
"Park Forest is considered a food desert, which means that many residents struggle to access affordable or high-quality fresh food," said Lewis.
Lewis explains that this pop-up food pantry is just one of the ways in which the Village is working to support its residents in need.
Last year, state Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) sponsored a new law to combat food deserts in the southland, including Park Forest. The new law provides grants and other financial assistance to grocery stores located in food deserts to help mitigate the lack of access to fresh food in communities across the state.
According to the U.S.D.A.'s Food Access Research Atlas, several food deserts exist across Chicago Heights, Park Forest, Richton Park, and University Park. A 2021 report by the Illinois Department of Public Health reveals that approximately 3.3 million people — or one in four Illinois residents — live in a food desert.
The pop-up food pantry will be located near the corner of Main Street and Victory Drive and will commence at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 20.