On Saturday morning Aurora resident Raul Sanchez was able to get some groceries for his family, something that his job prevents him from doing other days of the week.
“I’m so happy they are offering this. It’s just busy during the week. This is a welcome thing,” he said of the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry’s new Saturday drive-thru service at its facility at 1110 Jericho Road in Aurora. “I just started coming here as I just moved from West Chicago. It’s going to help us out.”
In addition to the new drive-thru, which runs from 8 to 10 a.m. on Saturdays, the pantry also offers indoor service days as well.
Katie Arko, executive director of the food pantry, said the new drive-thru Saturday option stems from an interest in developing more of a network to serve the West Side of the city.
“We want to increase accessibility,” Arko said. “We know there are people that can’t get here during the week and we want to make sure we are being as accessible as possible. But the real motivation behind this was what we’ve seen as an emerging need for school families in West Aurora School District 129.”
Arko said the decision was made to try out a partnership with District 129 “to promote this Saturday drive-thru which is for the school district but is also open to anyone.”
“This is a way to help families right now,” she said.
Arko said the pantry is a busy place these days.
“We are currently feeding at least 1,500 families a week,” she said, noting the pantry is open for indoor service on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
At the drive-thru on Saturday, volunteer Tim Caldwell of Oswego said the new service makes sense.
“It speaks for itself, especially Saturday morning,” Caldwell said. “You go out and do your grocery shopping anyway on Saturday morning, so this actually makes sense.”
Those in line early Saturday morning to take part in the drive-thru welcomed the weekend option, noting that work requirements during the week make it more difficult to drop by the pantry.
Rosemarie Mendoza of Aurora said it is hard for her to make it to the pantry during the week and is happy she now has another option.
“You have to work and I just can’t make it,” Mendoza said of dropping by the pantry on a weekday. “I was excited when I heard about this.
“On the weekends, it’s much easier,” she said.
Connie Davidson of Aurora likewise said the Saturday pick-up makes things much manageable.
“Weekend is the best time. Monday through Friday, people are working,” she said. “Because of my work schedule I couldn’t get in here.”
But the Saturday drive-thru at the pantry offers a brand new option.
“This absolutely works much better,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
