It was hard to distinguish the smiles of board members and district staff volunteers as they greeted families at the door from those of the families entering the building. “This is so nice,” one of the visitors could be heard saying in line. “Welcome to Unity Kitchen,” a volunteer replied. Crete-Monee School District was proud to open the district’s first-ever indoor food pantry on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Complete with fresh fruit and vegetables, the indoor pantry allows families to shop in a dry and warm space. “After working with mobile food pantries at the different district schools all these years, I am so thankful to finally have a brick and mortar food pantry available to all of our families,” said Board President Jennifer Gasbarro. “I have fought for this for over 3 years and I am so blessed that the district is finally able to do this – I am thankful to everyone involved,” she added. District administration also lauded the incredible work of Food Service Director Pamela Pansa who led the coordination and implementation of the pantry, in cooperation with community partner Northern Illinois Food Bank.
The next food pantry will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Unity Kitchen Summer Pantries Flyer