100-YEAR OLD PARSONAGE TRANSFORMED | Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Breaks Ground on New Home

EXCITING NEWS FOR GLEN ELLYN PANTRY

GLEN ELLYN– The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry officially broke ground on May 12, 2021, on its new headquarters at 55 N. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill. The 100-year-old former parsonage of Faith Lutheran Church will be transformed to a full pantry and warehouse. The relocation from shared space inside Grace Lutheran Church where it was founded by a youth group in 1979, to a larger, dedicated building is necessary to support the growing number of neighbors who rely on the Pantry for groceries and services.

Construction and renovation will begin in late Spring. Full relocation of Pantry staff and services is projected for the end of the year and will provide more convenient access for neighbors at risk of hunger closer to the Roosevelt Road corridor and public transportation. The completed project will feature 5,609 square feet of space including a 2-story warehouse which will replace the current 2-car garage, and will be fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act.

Green Light Construction Group of West Chicago, Ill., with three generations of experience, was selected for the project. The Village of Glen Ellyn Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Pantry’s building plans at its February meeting, and the organization reached its campaign goal of $900,000 in mid-March which will fund the work.

“This is a historic day for the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry as we embark on the next phase of being able to serve the community,” said Paula Nugent, president of the Pantry’s Board of Directors. “Our motto is ‘making hunger history’ and our new home will help make that dream a reality.”

The building has served many uses beyond its original parsonage intentions, including a location to teach refugees how to sew. The property also features a community garden tended by refugee families who live in Glen Ellyn. The words Cead Mile Failte, loosely translated in gaelic to “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes,” are imprinted on a vintage plaque of unknown origin currently on the front door and will be relocated inside the building when the Pantry officially moves. Bricks purchased and customized by donors will line the walkway at the entrance.

The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, named the 2020 Glen Ellyn Nonprofit of the Year, is an ecumenical endeavor of 14 Glen Ellyn churches that collaborate with the community to “make hunger history” in central DuPage County, Ill. In 2020, the Pantry served 5,470 neighbors with 761,000 pounds of food including fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread, and other groceries. Communities served include Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Villa Park, Warrenville, West Chicago, Wheaton and Winfield. The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry was founded in 1979 and is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, 100 percent privately funded through grants and donations. For more information visit www.GlenEllynFoodPantry.org or call 630-469-6988.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

PHOTO #1: The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry officially broke ground on May 12, on its new home at 55 N. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The 100-year-old former parsonage of Faith Lutheran Church will be transformed to a full pantry and warehouse. The relocation from shared space inside Grace Lutheran Church where it was founded by a youth group in 1979, to a larger, dedicated building is necessary to support the growing number of neighbors who rely on the Pantry for groceries and services. From left to right...

Thomas Rizzo, Project Manager, Green Light Construction Group; Mark Senak, President, Village of Glen Ellyn

Melody Eastman, Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church; Paula Nugent, Board of Directors President, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry

Laura Glaza, Executive Director, Glen Ellyn Food Pantry; Joe Yucha, Associate Pastor, Faith Lutheran Church

Shelly Satran, Senior Pastor, Faith Lutheran Church; Joseph T. Drew, President, Green Light Construction Group

PHOTOS #2 & #3: Food Pantry Renderings

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry New Home (front & side views)

55 N. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

PHOTO #4: The words Cead Mile Failte, an Irish phrase which translates to mean “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes,” are featured on a vintage plaque on the front door of 100-year old parsonage at Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn – which will be the future home of the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. The plaque, of unknown origin, will be relocated inside the building when the Pantry officially moves in late 2021.