Joliet Chamber’s Council for Working Women donates semi-truck load of food to pantry

Even before the July 15 storms blew into Will County, the Council for Working Women helped provide food for those in need.

On Monday, the Council for Working Women, a division of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry, donated a semi-truck load of food – approximately $1,500 worth of food - to the St. John Lutheran Church Food Pantry in Joliet, according to Jen Howard, president of the Joliet Chamber.

“We donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank directly years, but this was the first time with St. John,” Howard said. “Some of our members had a connection – they actually do volunteer on a regular basis there. So it was a good match.”

“It was a great thing for all of them to get together as a group.”

—  Jen Howard, president of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Because of the donation, St. John was able to purchase healthy protein options in bulk at a reduced rate, Howard said. These options included meat, dairy, eggs and pantry staples, items not ordinarily in the pantry’s budget, Howard said.

The council also provided 30 volunteers to assist with food distribution, so it served as a team-building exercise, too, Howard said.

“They also like to do community work,” she said. “So it was a great thing for all of them to get together as a group.”

In all, the distribution on Monday served 238 children, 491 adults and 170 seniors in the community, according to a news release from the Joliet Chamber.

For more information about the Council of Working Women, email info@jolietchamber.com, call 815-727-5371 or visit jolietchamber.com.

For more information about the St. John Lutheran Church Food Pantry, visit stjohnfood.org.