Hundreds of Cars Line Up For Drive-Thru Food Pantry In Alsip

ALSIP, IL — Hundreds of cars formed a line behind Worth Township Thursday afternoon for a mass food distribution event in Alsip. The emergency food drops have been happening since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and grow bigger every month.

Volunteers from the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters and township employees hustled 588 boxes into trunks and backseats. In less than two hours, all the boxes had been distributed.

“This a blessing,” a grateful woman told the volunteers. “You be well and be blessed.”

The boxes provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture contained meat, dairy and produce, valued at $42. In total about $25,000 worth of food was distributed, Worth Township Supervisor Eamon McMahon said.

“We have it down to a science,” McMahon said. "Everyone just rallies around.”

Worth Township has been teaming up with the Chicago-based Economic Strategies Development Corporation’s Food for Hope program, which partners with companies and community organizations to distribute fresh produce and non-perishable goods to hundreds of families in the Chicago area.

According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap Study, one in seven people in Cook County will experience food insecurity this year. Food insecurity is usually episodic and often cyclical. People may require assistance a single time, for a few months, or on a more regular basis.

The township is planning another food distribution event in December. Watch for details on Patch.

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.