Families get coats, food from Lake Zurich church

More than 300 families received new winter coats for children, food supplies and health checkups Saturday at The Chapel in Lake Zurich during the church's annual mobile food pantry event.

Volunteers handed out nearly 1,000 coats Saturday, and an additional 500 coats were distributed through partner Lake Zurich Unit District 95. The costs were donated by Operation Warm.

“We've got hats and gloves through the generosity of other donors,” said Ken Rasbid, church volunteer and event organizer.

Nearly 200 church and community volunteers, including youth groups and high school students, helped with the event, now in its fourth year. The main attraction is the mobile food pantry, which this year provided 10 days worth of groceries for more than 300 families.

“We do that every other month. This is our biggest,” Rasbid said. “We will probably have over 1,500 people come through today. We doubled the amount of coats we were able to give last year.”

The church has eight satellite locations — including Barrington, Grayslake, Libertyville, Mundelein, Palatine and Hinsdale — through which it does 40 such mobile pantries year round, he added.

Russell Wilson, 78, of Mundelein, said he and his wife, Mimi, are living off Social Security checks that barely cover their basic needs.

“It just don't go that far anymore with the rising price of meat,” said the Army veteran. “I can't afford to buy it. I go to a couple of the pantries, and they really help out. They gave me a meal, and I'm going to get some food.”

Mayra Munoz, of Palatine, brought along her 2-year-old son, Dante Ortiz, to get coats for her two children and flu shots.

“They're ready for winter,” said the 21-year-old single mother. “It's nice of them to think of others. It's a nice organization.”

As part of the event, medical students and doctors from Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago donated their time and supplies to provide free wellness screenings and flu shots to attendees.

Rasbid said awareness of the event has grown beyond the Lake Zurich community, drawing recipients from as far as Chicago and Rockford.

More families come through each year and nearly half of the attendees are children, he said.

“About half of them come from Lake Zurich and (from within) a 15-mile radius,” he added. “Unfortunately, I would say (the need) is increasing.”