APRIL 2021 VOLUNTEER BULLETIN |
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Happy National Volunteer Month, and welcome to the monthly Volunteer Bulletin! Questions or comments? Please feel free to email the Volunteer Department at volunteers@lakeviewpantry.org.
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VOLUNTEER ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES |
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APRIL IS VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION MONTH |
April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month! We are honored to work with such outstanding volunteers. Volunteers like you fuel our mission to fight hunger and feed hope! Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Plus, check out your impact by the numbers below! |
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VOLUNTEER HEALTH: LET'S CONTINUE TO STAY SAFE |
Health screening questions are now located at the entrance of each location. Please continue to help us stay safe: wear a mask, spatial distance, and refrain from volunteering if you answer yes to any of the screening questions. Learn more about our continued COVID-19 response at lakeviewpantry.org/covid.
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Explore our La Casa Norte location in Humboldt Park! Volunteer help is needed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9am - 1pm and 12pm - 3pm. Hablas Español? We could also use the help of a Bilingual Spanish Intake Volunteer Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10:30am - 2:30pm. To get involved, sign up via your personal volunteer site or email kandis@lakeviewpantry.org.
Volunteer spatially distanced at The Hub and help our Home Delivery Program Coordinator, Eva, contact our home delivery clients to see if they would like their delivery for the week. Volunteers make calls from a private meeting room using the Hub phone Tuesdays 1pm - 3pm. Eva will train you on using Salesforce and our phones. She will always be on-site to answer questions during your shift.
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As the weather warms up, we know that many of our volunteers like to bike to the Pantry. At The Hub, we recommend locking up your bike on the bike rack located at the corner of Foster and Paulina, just down the block from the entrance to the alley (there are also a couple of signposts on Foster that are available). We can take up to 3 bikes inside the warehouse near the door to the kitchen. |
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In March, Lakeview Pantry served 3,832 households, with volunteers serving over 7,330 hours. Thank you for all your hard work! The need continues at more than 200% and we are still not seeing the need for our services decline. We have a "new normal" now at the Pantry.
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Lakeview Pantry’s mission is to fight hunger and feed hope. Now, feeding hope means a new partnership with the Chicago Cubs and Advocate Aurora Health to ensure equitable vaccine access for all of our clients. As featured in the Chicago Tribune and Block Club Chicago, we’re honored to be one of the community partners helping connect underserved neighbors with vaccinations.
Beginning the last week of March, Lakeview Pantry volunteers worked around the clock to sign clients up for vaccine appointments at the new mass vaccination site at Wrigley Field. Already, several hundred clients have vaccinations scheduled!
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SHERIDAN: MEET THE PANTRY COORDINATORS! |
Have you met everyone on the Sheridan Pantry Coordinator team? Pantry Coordinators are on-site to support both you and your clients. They are your resource for any and all questions! Whether you are serving clients or restocking please don't hesitate to ask the Pantry Coordinators if you have any questions. Click here to meet each Pantry Coordinator and learn a fun fact!
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YOUNG LEADERS BOARD'S MILES TO MEALS FUNDRAISER! |
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ESTHER LINDOR RECEIVES THE ESSENTIAL SERVICES HERO AWARD FROM THE RED CROSS! |
In 2019, Esther was part of the team who launched Lakeview Pantry’s Online Market to ensure that families in need have access to nutritious food. This program was timely as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food needs for many families that were suddenly struggling to make ends meet. As a result of her work as an essential frontline teammate, Esther is being honored with the Essential Services Hero award from Red Cross. We couldn’t be more proud of one of our own! Check out the full story on CBS here.
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AVONDALE: MENTAL HEALTH SUITE SETUP |
Thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped us set up our Mental Health Suite at Avondale! We are thrilled to expand our social services and make them more accessible! As a reminder, we received a grant from the City of Chicago to offer this program at Avondale. We’re so thrilled to get started! |
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Someone donated snack bags with a sweet note! What a thoughtful way to brighten someone’s day! |
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Meredith
I started as a volunteer in May 2020 and as a temporary Pantry Coordinator in December 2020. You can find me at the Sheridan Market during distribution. My home town is Maple Grove, MN which is just outside of Minneapolis. Before COVID, I loved traveling and trying out new restaurants in the city! Currently, I love taking walks by the lake, reading detective novels, listening to copious amounts of true crime podcasts, trying out new recipes, and watching a lot of Bravo/reality television.
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Ed Hanlon
A job furlough in September provided the perfect opportunity to ramp-up community service with the Lakeview Pantry Hub location. I started with two shifts per week but added shifts throughout November and December to assist with the significant uptick of donations from individuals and our industry partners. I have also worked a few shifts at La Casa Norte, Sheridan, and Avondale. (I would encourage volunteers to work at these other sites and gain a broader perspective on the overall operations of production and distribution.) I have been so impressed with the staff and volunteers at all of the facilities and with everyone striving together to help the clients we serve.
I grew up in a household in western Nebraska where our parents were very active in the community. They never really "preached" that we needed to give back to the community—instead, they led by example. Consequently, philanthropic service seems to be a part of my DNA. I also volunteer with a variety of other local community service organizations including Designs for Dignity (pro-bono design work for other nonprofits), Working Bikes (used bike donations in Chicago and cargo loads of bikes sent to Africa & Central America), League of Women Voters (Deputy Voter Registrar), and Lakeshore Ski and Sports Club (Upcoming Program Director for '21/'22). Volunteering helps me maintain my sense of balance and perspective in this ever-changing world. I'm sure my fellow volunteers feel the same way. Hat's off to the entire Lakeview Pantry team for all that you've accomplished in 2020 and best wishes for ongoing strength and commitment to making life a bit better for our clients in 2021!
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Big shoutout to everyone who helped with an inventory! A special shoutout goes to volunteer Jim G who stayed late to finish the last freezer pallets.
A huge thank you to our inventory volunteers at Avondale: Matt B, Cathy B, Jared B, Alan S, Colm L, and Tulia R were an immense help. We couldn’t have done it without their help; we are incredibly grateful!
Shoutout to Daniel S, Jim N, Astrid, Sarah D, Kurt O, Cyndi R & Ray P: They came in Saturday afternoon to reorganize and clean the Online Market shelves in the warehouse, including the cooler and freezer. They certainly went above and beyond, thank you!
Shoutout to our volunteer Mike B: Mike fixed our green cart and our broken bench in the front! He is a handyman extraordinaire and always willing to help!
Shoutout to Josie F: Josie asked a city worker who was spray painting a water line to also mark the dangerous parts of our sidewalk at Sheridan. The sidewalk now reads CAUTION in big, white letters in every trouble spot!
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Wishing the happiest of April birthdays to our LVP Volunteers! |
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Sophie DeKoven
Karin Mueller-Paris
Robert Sicklesteel
Shanika Hall
Huu Duyen Nguyen
Brian Matthews
Rachel Walters
Brett Jones
Michael Polsky
Erica Seyburn
Nicole Yankowski
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Pascale Kichler
Lisa Oliver
Veronica Blum
Jonathan Moore
Alexander Cabala
Phillip McGee
Kent Stallard
David Sandelin
Linda Masini
Sara Baker
Ryan Sexton
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Mary Roderique
Tim Schavitz
Joshua Dominguez
Sarah Lane
Therese Lowry
Michael Hefner
Daniel Balsam
Katie Harryman
Margaret Wright
Alex Rodriguez
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