DONATION MATCH BY DUPAGE FOUNDATION PUSHES CAMPAIGN OVER GOAL
GLEN ELLYN – The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry announced it had reached its campaign goal of $900,000 for the transformation of the 100 year-old parsonage of Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn to become its new headquarters. The relocation from shared space inside Grace Lutheran Church where it was founded by a youth group in 1979, to a larger, dedicated building is necessary to support the growing number of neighbors who rely on the Pantry for groceries and services. A $50,000 match by the JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation is the gift that pushed the Campaign over its goal.
Construction will begin in late Spring after the Village of Glen Ellyn Board of Trustees unanimously approved building plans at its February meeting. Full relocation of Pantry staff and services to its new home at 55 N. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn, is projected for the end of the year and will provide more convenient access for neighbors at risk of hunger closer to the Roosevelt Road corridor and public transportation. GreenLight Construction Group of Lombard, Ill., with three generations of experience, was selected for the project.
“While the Campaign was slowed a bit due to the pandemic, we are thankful to the Village and our donors for finally taking us to the next stage of the Pantry’s important legacy of community support,” said Paula Nugent, president of the Pantry’s Board of Directors. “Our motto is ‘making hunger history’ and our new home will help make that dream a reality.”
The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry is an ecumenical endeavor of 14 Glen Ellyn churches that collaborate with the community to “make hunger history” in central DuPage County, Ill. In 2020, the Pantry served 5,470 neighbors with 761,000 pounds of food including fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread, and other groceries. Communities served include Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Villa Park, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield. The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry was founded in 1979 and is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, 100 percent privately funded through grants and donations. For more information visit www.GlenEllynFoodPantry.org or call 630-469-6988.
