PANTRY PARTY

Northfield Township Food Pantry will host its annual Pantry Palooza concert and fundraiser on July 22 at Clarkson Park in Northfield.

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Nearly 50 years ago, Northfield Township recognized that some of its individuals and families were going hungry or had gaps during the month when they couldn’t afford enough food.

It was from this need that the Northfield Township Food Pantry was born.

At first the pantry was a modest operation, run out of a small space at what was then the township’s headquarters. A nonprofit organization still operated by Northfield Township today, the pantry has grown over the decades and now has more than 1,000 families on its books and serves more than 700 families monthly.

“It was something that the township kind of took on and was willing to do, but throughout the subsequent decades, the need just continued to increase and increase until it then became formalized,” says Gayle Curcio, Northfield Township Administrator. “It is a 501(c)(3) and also an agency of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.”

The food pantry has become one of the largest services that the township offers to the community and while the township does a lot of other things, Curcio says the food pantry is probably the most well-known. Right now, the number one qualification to access the pantry is for individuals and families to be residents of Northfield Township.

Recently, the pantry has seen the need for its services grow. The economic troubles brought on by COVID-19 and more recently, food inflation, has caused an increase in families requiring food assistance. For example, in 2020 the pantry was serving 494 families or individuals per month, but that number has jumped to 711 as of January 2023.

While operated by the township, the pantry receives no public funding and is wholly reliant upon donations from individual and corporations, both to fund its operating budget and stock its shelves with food. One key way the pantry raises funds each year is its annual Pantry Palooza concert and party. This year’s event will take place on July 22 in Northfield’s Clarkson Park.

Pantry Palooza got its start in 2017 and has Glenview Summerfest to thank. The Summerfest brought in food vendors, family fun such as face painting, and other attractions. That year, some pantry volunteers had the bright idea to piggyback off of the foot traffic at the Glenview Summerfest and add on a concert fundraiser for the pantry.

“It was nice because you had a built-in population of people. The village was supportive, and the chamber was supportive,” says Roxanne Dunn, Northfield Township Food Pantry’s Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator. “So, that ran at least three years, up until 2019, and then COVID hit everything in 2020.”

This year’s Pantry Palooza is being brought back with a flair. Five different bands will play at the event, which starts at 3 p.m. Alcoholic beverages will be available for sale by Ten 90 of Waukegan, and food by Hoffherr Meat Company of Northfield. Sponsors include Wintrust Bank Community Bank, Dermody Properties, Autohaus on Edens, and the Vasey Agency of State Farm in Glenview.

It will all make for a great party, but both Dunn and Curcio say the important thing is to continue to raise awareness for the important work the pantry does in the Northfield community, which is needed now more than ever.

“The event is open to the public. Anybody is welcome to come on by and listen to some music. We're asking for a suggested donation of $10 donation at the door. We'll have food vendors, alcohol vendors, and the pantry will get a portion of the proceeds from those sales,” Dunn says. “It’s really a nice community-based effort this year to raise money for the pantry and to get awareness out.”

The Pantry Palooza benefit for the Northfield Township Food Pantry takes place on July 22, from 3 to 10 p.m. in Clarkson Park in Northfield. There is a suggested $10 donation, proceeds from which will benefit the pantry.

For more information, visit northfieldtownship.com/food-pantry/.