Community Corner

As U.S. Unemployment Rises, Local Food Pantry Sees Demand from Hinsdale South Families Skyrocket

HCS Family Services says demand for food pantry services has continued to grow, with a good part of their clients coming from Darien and Willowbrook.

Families move to District 86, because it is home to some of the best schools in the country. The words "food pantry" don't seem to fit in a landscape where multi-million dollar homes are within a five-minute drive of each of the schools.

In this economy, however, the food pantry has become essential for many who live here, including some students who attend Hinsdale South with more fortunate friends, who would not know what a Link Card was if they saw one.

According to a recent report, employment rose far less than expected in May, with U.S. private employers adding only 83,000 workers, and the jobless rate rising to 9.1 percent. This news is the latest in disappointing economic information at a time when many Darien residents already are feeling the strain.

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According to Kim Stephens, a social worker and case manager for HCS Family Services, which serves the communities of Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Willowbrook and Westmont, the demand for food pantry services has grown since last year.

"We have seen numbers from our food pantry on-site go from 3,800 at the end of last year to 4,700 so far this year," said Stephens. "We're now seeing about 940 people a month, where we were seeing 300 people a month at this same time last year."

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Stephens said the majority of clients come from Darien and Willowbrook, and HCS started a mobile food pantry last April to reach Willowbrook residents that is now seeing 300 families a month as well. The demand for other services has increased to the point that the organization has created programs for job preparedness, financial literacy and housing and rental assistance.

Stephens said some people who may have held their jobs for more than a decade now need to learn how to make their skills applicable to new positions, how to write a resume and how to interview.

"Our phones are ringing off the hook with people in need of services. I have appointments back-to-back," said Stephens. "In Burr Ridge and Hinsdale, we are seeing a completely different clientele. It's no longer the homeless and transient, but people who have lost jobs that were making upwards of $70,000 and $80,000 a year, who are now coming in and need rental assistance or utility assistance and are using our food pantry."

Stephens said there is a huge need in this area, because of the high cost of living. Families who moved to the area when times were better might have found that leaving is not a viable option.

"They want their kids to maintain their schools. I've had people tell me they will put up with the increased financial strain, just so their kids can continue going to school in District 86," said Stephens.

Temporary Factors May Be Impacting Economic Growth Numbers

According to a Huffington Post article, economists believe the lull in employment growth will be temporary. The article cited high gasoline prices, bad weather and disruptions to motor vehicle production as possible factors that could be weighing on growth.

"We should keep in mind that we have seen a lot of factors weighing on the U.S. economy in April and May, and should take this report with a pinch of salt," said Harm Bandolz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York in the article.

Until then, people should expect to see the state of the economy reflected in an increased demand for services provided by non-profit organizations, such as HCS Family Services, that provide help to those facing challenging economic times.

Stephens said that HCS could not provide the services that it does without help from the community through service projects such as the Hinsdale South food drive and donations that make possible events such as the turkey giveaway, sponsored by Whole Foods Market in Hinsdale and former Blackhawk defenseman Brent Sopel.


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