Jam for Bread Event Fights Hunger with Music

Local musicians are joining the effort to combat hunger in Lincoln Square.

With more than in the neighborhood, two residents are starting a food pantry. The new pantry, called the Lincoln Square Friendship Center, is hosting its first fundraiser March 23. 

Jam for Bread will be a concert at at 2124 W. Lawrence Ave. Supporters of the show will see the bands Urban Twang, Hump Night Thumpers and the neighborhood’s own, Jonas Friddle.

While most of Friddle’s music is folk-style, he said the event’s tunes will be upbeat. 

“We’ll be playing a lot of swing dances, it’ll all be very happy, fun-loving music,” he said.

The new pantry—headed by volunteers Heidi Bush and Meghan Gutierrez—was the idea of a committee of clergymen brought together by Ward 47 Ald. Ameya Pawar. 

They recognized the need to help Lincoln Square’s hungry and met through their respective churches. That’s also how Bush and Gutierrez connected with Friddle. Bush and the musician both attend the Lincoln Square Presbyterian Church.

“It’s not a hard thing to do, to help out the community you live in,” he said. “It’s a pretty good reason to use your skills.”

Friddle, who works at the Old Town School of Folk Music, is no stranger to community events. Last summer, he played at the Square Roots Festival and has been at local venues like Schubas, the Hideout and Beat Kitchen. 

Also playing will be Urban Twang and the Hump Night Thumpers. The Thumpers are a weekly ensemble that meet at the Old Town School of Folk Music. The group features jug band music—a style of blues from the 1920s. 

Purchase Jam for Bread tickets here.  

Read more:

New Food Pantry to Help Lincoln Square's Hungry Population