Beverly Bakery Hosting Food Pantry During Coronavirus Crisis

CHICAGO — The front vestibule of the Beverly Bakery & Cafe at 105th and Western has long been a place for people in the neighborhood to exchange greetings while coming in and leaving the busy spot for brunch and community gatherings. But since the coronavirus crisis hit the United States and a "stay-at-home" order issued throughout Illinois, the small place quickly turned its purpose.

That same vestibule area has been home to a food pantry for the past two-and-a-half weeks that restaurant dine-in services have been shut down, Megan Quigley, whose family owns the Beverly Bakery, said.

A Facebook post by one of the bakery's regular customers a few weeks back offering help was shared countless times, and Quigley, who shared the post herself, thought "we might as well start collecting food at the bakery and distributing it here."

The Quigley family started by offering up a few food items and coffee beans, and not long after neighborhood residents came through with mostly non-perishable food items to fully stock the makeshift pantry.

"Some of the other food pantries around here aren't really open anymore, but we have it here," Quigley said. "Anything left over will go to groups that work with the homeless or other pantries."

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She said the bakery's pantry serves about a handful of people per day. For the Quigleys, it's a way to help others in need all the while facing challenges brought upon by the coronavirus shutdown themselves.

"We know that many people in the service industry live paycheck-to-paycheck, and by the time the help comes from the government it might be too late," said Quigley, who adds the bakery is also doing its part to feed their own employees during the struggle.

But normal business hours are still on at Beverly Bakery, which is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Tuesdays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The food pantry is there during all normal business hours, Quigley said.

Donations are always accepted for the food pantry, and customers can further support Beverly Bakery by buying a gift certificate on their website or mobile app.

The bakery is still open for takeout and curbside orders and they will deliver, too. Inside the bakery, pixie glass has been put up to separate staff from takeout customers and employees themselves are taking strict social distancing measures behind the counter as well, Quigley said.

"We also have social distancing markers on the floor for where people should stand and wait," she said. "We're making sure no one is sharing the same air."