Joliet VA Clinic to host mobile food pantry on March 30
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital's Joliet Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) will host a mobile food pantry on March 30, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The event will be held in the Joliet CBOC parking lot and is open to all community members in need. No proof of military service, residency or income is required.
Participants will receive basic food staples, including dry goods, meat, dairy and fresh produce. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance information will also be available.
"Our clinic is part of this community, and we want to help our neighbors in their times of need," said Elizabeth Thrun, licensed clinical social worker for Hines VA and event coordinator. "Too many Will County residents don't know where their next meal will come from. If you need help, please consider joining us on March 30."
Food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. A volunteer will load pre-packed items into each vehicle as directed by the driver. Donations will also be offered to those without access to a vehicle.
Hines VA's Joliet CBOC is located at 1201 Eagle Street, Joliet, Illinois, 60432.
The Joliet CBOC provided food to more 440 individuals during its November 2022 mobile food pantry and served over 640 individuals during events in June and July 2022.
The mobile food pantry is in partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which provides approximately 48,000 Will County residents with food staples each month and more than 450,000 individuals in Northern Illinois. Visit www.SolveHungerToday.org to find additional area food pantries.
The clinic is planning additional food pantries later this year.
Veterans experiencing food, housing or employment insecurity are encouraged to contact Hines VA's Homeless Program at 708-202-4961.
About Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care to veteran patients in the Chicago area. We are the largest VA in the state of Illinois, where more than a million Veterans reside. The hospital treats more than 44,000 veterans from World War II through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.