Forest Park Community Center reopens in Joliet

The Forest Park Community Center in Joliet reopens Thursday for the first time since being closed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The center will have a food drive at noon under different conditions than in the past, said Executive Director Bettye Gavin.

Instead of people stopping to select food as they have in the past, they will receive pre-packed boxes of assorted food as they go through a drive-thru line.

"We'll put the food in their cars," Gavin said. "We'll practice that social distancing."

The center, located at 1017 Woodruff Road, also is opening its computer lab, giving people in the neighborhood without home computers access to the Internet.

Early learning classes, however, will not start up again Thursday. And, Gavin said the Police and Children Together Camp normally held each summer will not be held this year because of COVID-19 restrictions.