Addison pantry helps residents through hardship

Twenty-seven years ago Barb Farrell and her two young daughters were staying with her parents in Addison while they waited to join Farrell's Navy husband in Maryland.

Then Farrell's husband informed her over the phone that he wanted a divorce.

Christmas looked bleak that year until Addison Community Switchboard came through to help the stranded mother and her children.

“They got toys. We got clothes. We got food. Wow! Santa came,” Farrell said. “The switchboard helped me out and did something I never forgot.”

For 40 years, Addison Community Switchboard has been giving residents in need reasons to be thankful at Thanksgiving, joyful at Christmas and appreciative year-round for the support they receive.

Switchboard coordinator Jim Lombardo said the organization is able to provide food, clothing and limited help with utility bills thanks to the generosity of Addison-area businesses, churches and residents.

“It's a ‘we' project,” he said.

Between 40 and 50 seniors receive help at Thanksgiving.

“Each senior on our list gets a basket of food,” Lombardo said.

During the Christmas holidays, the seniors and 260 families receive food and gifts. Lombardo said businesses and churches take tags from a giving tree to buy and wrap the gifts. Each child typically receives three presents and seniors are given one gift.

Families also receive a turkey box from the Northern Illinois Food Bank and two boxes of food that have been collected by local businesses and by students in Addison Elementary District 4 and DuPage High School District 88.

The food and gifts are distributed to families on Dec. 18 at Good Samaritan Methodist Church in Addison. The seniors' gifts and food are delivered to them.

Year-round, the switchboard helps between 200 to 300 families a month who are referred by schools, churches, police departments, VFW halls and other organizations. Recipients must be residents of both the village of Addison and Addison Township.

Their referral letter and birth certificates for each child allows them to pick up groceries once a month and select 10 articles of clothing during their visit.

The switchboard also may pay half of a current utility bill.

Lombardo said the switchboard is receiving between one and three new clients a week.

“New clients have been going up,” he said.

Clients may come any time during the switchboard's open hours of 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

In addition to its regular distribution, the switchboard holds two mobile food pantries during the year to distribute 10,000 pounds of food supplied by the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Each family may select six bags of groceries.

A couple other food pantries exist in Addison, but their reach is not as extensive, Lombardo said.

So what would Addison residents in need do without the switchboard?

“I don't know,” Lombardo said.

Farrell, an employee of the Addison post office, said she is pleased to participate in the letter carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive in May knowing the bulk of the donations goes to the switchboard. She also refers people who want to donate or who are in need to the switchboard throughout the year.

“It was a blessing to me,” she said. “The switchboard is my favorite charity.”

Ÿ Those wanting to donate may send a check payable to Addison Community Switchboard to 193 W. Michael Lane, Addison, IL 60101. For details, call (630) 628-2698 or (630) 628-2699.