The Irving Park Community Food Pantry, located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, began as a response in the neighborhood to frequent requests for food. In the early 1970's, Leila Duncan, a member of the Irving Park United Methodist Church, purchased and delivered groceries personally to individuals and families in the area. By the 1980's several people were helping her in these efforts. Sensitive insight on the part of Rev. Philip Sheets, the pastor, led to the formation of the Pantry as a community effort. In 1987, the Irving Park Community Food Pantry was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois as a not-for-profit organization. The Pantry, as it is known today, works closely with an interdenominational family of churches,civic groups, businesses, schools, scouts, area aldermen, our state representative and concerned individuals in the neighborhood. From Leila Duncan's vision of serving individuals, the pantry and its volunteers have grown to help an average of 600 households, representing about 1800 individuals in need of emergency food each month of the year.

The Irving Park Community Food Pantry is dedicated to feeding people in our community and educating others on hunger related issues. Our philosophy of service is to provide caring, consistent quality of service and an equitable distribution of available Pantry resources to all clients. It is our belief that service offered and delivered in this manner increases and maintains the self-worth and the dignity of each person. Value-based service like ours enhances the community and makes our community one in which residents desire to live and raise their families as people of good will. Together we are doing important work; together we are neighbors helping neighbors.

The Irving Park Community Food Pantry is open for food distribution every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Clients are given a confidential interview to determine initial as well as ongoing eligibility, which is based upon residency in our service area as well as income. We serve people regardless of religious, ethnic or political affiliation. Each client is given a 3-5 day supply of food free on a monthly basis. Clients are often referred to additional community resources to meet the variety of needs clients have in addition to food, in areas such as housing, physical and mental health care, legal services, etc. The Pantry was recently selected by the Greater Chicago Food Depository to be the only site in Chicago to participate in the ExpressStamps Pilot Program, whereby people can apply at our facility for a Link card, which will enable them to purchase food within a week. The Pantry conducts two eight-week nutrition seminars every year in cooperation with the University of Illinois. These seminars offer our clients valuable instruction in how to cook nutritious meals using food similar to what they receive at the pantry. Each month,the pantry delivers food to our homebound clients using our pantry truck. We also pick up food for two other pantries in the area who do not have a truck. Distribution of winter wear and socks for our clients in need is another service that we provide. The pantry also has a special Thanksgiving and December/Holiday food distribution. We have a toy distribution program for clients' children in December. We also distribute school supplies in August before the new school year so that students can arrive at school prepared.