Will County Health Department, Joliet’s Brown Chapel partner to supply food to community

Joliet — The Will County Health Department has partnered with the Brown Chapel AME Church to open a new community micro-pantry in Joliet.

A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

“We provide the pantries so people can have 24/7 access to essential staple foods,” said Dr. Robert Dutton, health equity manager at the health department. “We ask local businesses and religious organizations if they’re interested, and we provide the pantries.”

The Will County Health Department has been placing pantries through the community since 2016, and worked with Holsten Human Capital Development to coordinate the placement of the new pantry at Brown Chapel.

The pantry is a 3-by-4-foot cabinet with double plastic doors so people can see what is inside the pantry when they approach. The pantry will sit outside the main doors of the church, which is located at 1502 Mills Road.

Members of the Carpenters Local 174 donated their time and labor to build the pantry while the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council (MACRC) donated the materials. Tom White from The Will Grundy Building Trades Council, MACRC  Apprentice School, Painters Union Local 33, Painters District Council #14 Apprenticeship Program  and instructor Axel Chamorro also helped contribute to the building of the micro pantry.

Dutton noted that anyone from the community can leave donations of nonperishable food or claim some of the items at any time, and that the health department will make regular checks on it to ensure the food is not expired and the cabinet is in good condition.

“We already have a small, community garden to provide fresh produce for people, but we wanted to take it a step further for people who don’t have regular access to the grocery stores.”

—  Darius Thomas Curtis, pastor of Brown Chapel AME

Back-to-school help

The ribbon-cutting will take place after the church’s services. The event will coincide with the church’s annual Community Day, which serves as a sort of back-to-school picnic and provides members of the community with important resources.

Brown Chapel AME Pastor Darius Thomas Curtis, who is a single father of twin boys, said the event will feature a barbecue and games for kids, including bounce houses and a dunk tank with several youth ministers. It will also give families an opportunity to check essentials off their back-to-school lists.

The church is providing school supplies to families with children returning to the classroom, and additional partners in the event will be onsite to provide services.

Multiple barbers will have volunteers present to give kids free haircuts, while medical professionals from the congregation will provide required back-to-school physicals at no charge, in addition to wellness checks and referral resources for mental health services for the adults in attendance.

“My mother used to say ‘health is wealth,’” Curtis said. “We want people to experience an abundant life, and even with the Affordable Care Act a lot of people feel like the costs of regular checkups is prohibitive. We want to remind them to check your blood pressure, check your sugar levels, because some people, especially Black men, let these things go. This is a great opportunity to bring about awareness.”

Curtis said opening the micro-pantry at the event felt fitting, since the parish had been trying to find new ways to help with food insecurity in the community.

“We realize we are in the middle of a food desert in this area,” Curtis said. “We have five acres of land here and we have been intentional about using it. We already have a small, community garden to provide fresh produce for people, but we wanted to take it a step further for people who don’t have regular access to the grocery stores.”

Curtis said the idea for the pantry came about “organically” when the church was reaching out to local authorities to see what they could do about supplying people with food.

“We wanted to do our part,” said Curtis. “It turned out Will County was looking for places to put pantries, so it just kind of happened.”

The pantry will accept small donations from residents but will also be receiving support from the local chapter of the National Hook-up of Black Women and the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

“We want to be a beacon of hope for the community,” Curtis said. “If this goes well, we want to expand it so people can get things like books and schools supplies like this, too.

“People come to the church in all kinds of crises looking for hope. We’re a small congregation, but our goal is to make a lasting impact. We’re very excited to be a part of this. I love this church, I love the people here, and I love the work we are called to do.”