BASIC NEEDS
UMMA’s FOOD PANTRY
The UMMA Center believes in making the underserved residents of Lake County self-reliant, and we are working hard for a hunger-free Lake County. The Basic Needs program contains a food pantry that distributes food twice a week to low income residents of Waukegan and North Chicago. Food has been provided to over 400 families per year and 40 families every week since 2005. The UMMA Center food pantry is sponsored by Northern Illinois Food Bank and receives food at discount prices.
We accept monetary donations and non-perishable food donations for its food pantry. Please contact the UMMA Center office and speak to Hira Siddiqui for more details: 847-336-6136 or email us at info@ummacenters.org
Feed your mind. Think you know the facts about hunger in Lake County?
In many ways, Lake County is one of the most affluent counties in Illinois. But for 1 in 11 Illinois residents, hunger is a reality. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. Most of us simply have no idea. It is time to educate ourselves about Illinois’ hunger problem.
Some causes behind Hunger in the suburbs
The causes behind the growth in need for Food Assistance are numerous, but these factors are major contributors:
- As of September 2009, the northern Illinois Counties continue to surpass national unemployment at 10.5%.
- Increase in number of single parent households where income is not sufficient to support children properly.
- Elderly population is increasing due to longevity of life, and in some instances living longer than their resources.
- Population growth has brought with it a larger working poor that cannot keep pace with expenses of living in today's modern suburban areas.
One of the most common misconceptions is the assumption that if someone is hungry, that means they do not have a job and are living on the streets. What most people do not understand is that anyone can experience hunger. This silent epidemic affects more than 49 million Americans.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2008, 19 million people lived in working-poor families. This translates into nearly 9 % of all American families living below 100 % of poverty have at least one family member working.
How can YOU stop hunger in Lake County?
Make a BIGGER impact as an Agent of Social Change!
An agent of social change is someone who pledges to give every month to feed the hungry families in Lake County, IL. It is an easy, no-hassle way to make a huge difference!
Save time. Make your life less complicated. Make a difference. Become an Agent of Social Change
