Care for Real

Join us on Wednesday, June 24th, at Hamburger Mary's Chicago for Drag Bingo! Care for Real will receive a portion of the proceeds from this fun event, and we would love to see you all there.

Reservations are strongly encouraged, so grab yours while there are still seats available: https://bit.ly/cfrbingo.

Care for Real is recruiting volunteers for Chicago Pride Fest on June 20 and 21! These fun, high-energy shifts help raise funds for Care for Real while connecting with the community.

Volunteers should be comfortable being on their feet for most or all of the shift, volunteering outdoors, and engaging with festival attendees. Gate volunteers must be 18+.

The deadline to sign up to volunteer at Pride Fest is Monday, June 1! View the schedule and sign up here: vhub.at/CfRSummerFestivals.

Shout out to the group from Rotary International in Evanston who volunteered with us this month to distribute food to neighbors in Edgewater! Thank you for putting Rotary's commitment to service into action alongside our community.

Thank you to our friends at Senn High School for hosting a generous collection drive of baby care products for our neighbors earlier this month! We are so appreciative of our community partners who help us provide essential items like diapers and wipes for the families we serve.

May 14th marked one year since our first food distribution in our new home on North Broadway. This new facility exists because of our community’s belief and investment in Care for Real's mission. For a full year, we have seen that impact.

We have been able to serve neighbors with greater efficiency and more dignity than ever before. Neighbors can move through the pantry with ease, access a wide variety of nutritious food, and experience a stronger sense of dignity in the process. Volunteers and staff operate more efficiently, allowing us to remain a reliable resource as need continues at high levels.

Last month, a client stopped our Executive Director, Gregory Gross, during food distribution to comment on the building. This client took part in one of our visioning focus groups when we began to design the new building. With tears in his eyes, he said, "this is exactly what we talked about! I still cannot believe it came true." He also shared that he had recently visited the new clothing closet for the first time, and said, "It's beautiful. I felt like I was shopping in Nordstrom’s. Wow. Thank you."

Our community’s investment didn't just build a facility. It strengthened the very foundation of our programs and how we serve our neighbors in need. Thank you for being part of our community which cares for one another.

Ivy & Ann were caught cheesing in their Care for Real t-shirts! You can get your own at https://care-for-real.company.site. A portion of every sale is donated to Care for Real!

Help Care for Real celebrate our upcoming volunteer graduates! Please let us know if you or a volunteer you know is graduating this spring so we can recognize them. Email us at [email protected].

Join Care for Real as a summer festival volunteer!

We’re currently recruiting for Andersonville’s Midsommarfest on June 14 and Chicago Pride Fest on June 20 and 21. These fun, high-energy shifts help raise funds for Care for Real and are a great way to connect with your community.

Volunteers should be comfortable being outdoors, on their feet, and engaging with festival attendees. Beverage booth volunteers must be 21+ and gate volunteers must be 18+.

View the schedule and sign up here: vhub.at/CfRSummerFestivals

As a reminder, Care for Real will be closed, and there will be no food distribution tomorrow, May 23rd and Monday, May 25th in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday. We will return to regular food pantry hours on Wednesday, May 27th in Edgewater.

To find resources for food and other assistance in your area, visit www.gcfd.org/findfood.

Care for Real’s volunteers go above and beyond in service of our neighbors. We are excited to recognize some of our dedicated, hard-working volunteers who reached the following service milestones in March and April!

100 hours:
Kathleen S.
Teagan C.
Paula M.
Aliyah A.
Linda S.
Pietro Z.
Jameson M.
Ferris E.
Lisa O.
Alison M.
Noreen C.
Lori D.
Carmen F.

200 hours:
Annika S.
Marilyn S.
James R.
Noreen G.

500 hours:
Wendy B.
Michael Shawn S.
Ali W.

3,000 hours:
Eileen S.
Kathleen M.