I am so glad I came! I volunteered through a face-book event and I was so elated doing it. I was a…read morelittle hesitant but screw it, its about doing things for others once in a while and just enjoying it. I usually do not like to talk about the good one does, but in this case, its more-so for the fact that others can join in and help them out when the need arises. If a teenager has to do volunteer hours this is the perfect opportunity to do so. I was put in the kitchen to cut up veggies and help make the GIGANTIC VAT of spaghetti. I mean this thing fed the 188 people we served just that afternoon. Seriously, it was something of a feat to see this. I didn't think it was actually going to feed everyone in the hall, but wow if it did! I helped prep the salad, spaghetti and even the desserts. I have to admit, I was so happy I went. And although it was hard work, the workers made it fun and exciting if that can be stated. They are a non for profit organization that gets donations of food from all over, and just recently started getting food donated from Aldi, YES ALDI! 7 days a week they feed the hungry and NEVER turn anyone away. Some guy (who I heard is a regular) came in with his 2 liter of soda already ready for the nights food. And you would think that a they would serve small portions, but no, these portions were fit for a football player. I mean seriously big portions. Then at the end of the night, (Food is served from 5-6 and stops after that), a take home bag is given to everyone which could consist of produce and a whole bag is what they give. Not one pack, a WHOLE BAG. Nutritious foods that some of the participants probably would never get access too. Not to mention that I was told by one of the cooks that people from far away south come for this and they are fine with that. What a wonderful thing to see, and I hope that this review will encourage others to volunteer their time at least once, to give back something to the communities that so need it. Parking down the block is free on Paulina, but if you park in front, its metered. I choose this so be prepared.

Feeding Hungry people all year round is not a Joke but this organization has been doing it…read moreeffortlessly.Glad to get a chance to volunteer as part of "Yelp Takeover event". They feed nutritious dinner 365 days which is really commendable. Apart from feeding homeless,veterans this organization also does social projects like Micro lending,Mentoring kids and guiding them in education. The place is spacious enough for feeding 50-60 people at one go. They have a big kitchen and counter to serve food.Rest Rooms are clean . Tammy, the staff is very friendly.This place is 5 min walk from Howard CTA station incase if you want to volunteer or donate.It is always good to spare time for less privileged. You can donate your money/time.Gift Donation is tax deductible. Helping Hands are better than Praying Lips-Mother Theresa.

This is a food bank for the poor and in need and they accept volunteers all the time to help with…read morethe massive work of sorting donated food to be distributed to those in need. You can come on a weekend and work in their warehouse of food and sort the food by dates to make sure old food or opened packages don't get sent to those in need by mistake. Old food (that is close to the sell by date) is sent to the local zoos to help defray costs and waste.

From the owner: Our vision at Northern Illinois Food Bank is for everyone in Northern Illinois to have the food…read morethey need to thrive. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and proud member of Feeding America, we serve our neighbors in 13 counties with dignity, equity and convenience, providing 250,000 meals a day. We bring together manufacturers, local & corporate grocers, area farmers, corporations, foundations, and individuals who donate food and funding, and each week volunteers help us evaluate, repack, and distribute food. We also proudly partner with more than 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and youth & senior feeding programs to provide nutritious food & resources. Distribution centers are located in Geneva, Park City, Rockford and Joliet.

Awesome service pantry is very neat clean food is good. The food is up-to-date. Sometimes most of…read morethe time I recommend this place to you.

They are very friendly, kind, helpful, and quick! They make the food pantry experience a pleasant…read moreone!

A great local Ravenswood / Lincoln Square organization helping to serve the underserved and hungry…read morein the area. By working with shipping volunteers (among others), shoppers are able to pick out food with dignity. I've only volunteered here once so far but I think they're doing some really good work. Sign up to volunteer via their website!

The Friendship Center is doing some good things for three community…read more I've always wanted to help out my neighbors by volunteering, and what a pleasure it has been to dedicate my time here. TFC treats all shoppers with dignity and respect and does it's best to provide a much-needed service to those in need. Operating in 4-hour increments, shoppers have the opportunity to pick out their choice of groceries from an assortment of items. Shopping volunteers guide them around the pantry and bag the items for the shoppers. Hot meals and delivery meals are also provided on occasion. I encourage anyone interested in volunteering to come by and help out. It could not be easier or more fun. I also encourage anyone in need to check to the website to see if they qualify.

Love the staff members. Appreciate the service and quality of foods given!…read morePeace & B Great!!!!

Awesome service by awesome people Best food bank…read moreever!!!!!!! They are awesome to me. I believe they saved lives during Covid. I know they helped out my family ..thank you!!!!

My job gave us a day off to come and volunteer @ The GCFD. This was a great opportunity to support…read moreand help out those in needs. Everyone was friendly, helpful and productive. We all worked hard as a team to accomplish our goal of feeding over 2,700 families. This place is outstanding. Very clean and organized. I enjoyed lending my time for such an amazing and precious organization. I look forward to volunteering here again.

I was invited to volunteer for a team outing at this facility and I was surprised how beautiful…read morethis facility is exterior and internally. Plenty of parking and there is only one stall for EV charging. Inside you are greeted and checking-in is easy. They have you gather inside a locker area where you will have to put in small lockers your personal items before you get dressed appropriately. I was dressed in a plastic apron and gloves for onion packaging. This was a very fun event to help out. I would come back to volunteer again.

New location on Lincoln Avenue is big and beautiful. We dropped off food donations and were warmly…read moregreeted by volunteers. The operation appeared well staffed and very busy, which made my heart happy. Donations were being sorted and I was so impressed by the organization of tasks, volunteers and efficiency of the facility.

Common Pantry is the best pantry that I have received food from the director Ms. Margaret is very…read morenice and the volunteers are nice and friendly. Quick service great atmosphere I thank God for them they help a lot of people, please check them out they are very professional and helpful. I have spread the word to friends and family.

I was at Care for Real this evening at Rogers Park Location between Morse and Ashland Street. A…read moreStaff Name Caroline Covarrubias her position is Billingual Programs Associate at Care For Real. She is very rude and condescending most of the time, She has preferences on people when to talk appropriate but others people she talks to them in rude way and unkind manner. She needs to improve on her people skills and social skills and treat everyone with respect and equally. In my opinion she does not fit in her position if she is going to continue in that way or choose another job where she doesnt have to deal with people. Also this place have limits to distribute the food most to certain people. Who gets what? Most of the time the food is expired. Need more training to the management personnel and also training on Staff's.

The following is a series of text messages I received from my friend Sammy during the month of…read moreApril 2020. I touched it up a little and turned it in for a social studies paper. I got an A! (Note: No Schlitz cocktails were harmed in the making of this Yelp review.) --- So naturally we found a stray beat-up pit bull yesterday and he loves us. Like I usually hate these rescue dog things but this maniac was actually running with traffic and dodging cars after wandering onto the I-90 Kennedy Expressway yesterday. Last night we had him stay overnight at the vet in Skokie, IL because it was the only place open and she basically said that he's got a litany of problems to deal with but that he's generally healthy and fixable. Shane named him Kennedy after the stretch of the I-90/Kennedy Expressway where we found him, but I just call him Kenny. He seems to like watching the expressway from a car window more than running along it in 70-mph traffic. -- We asked about the weird growths on his hind legs and figured that they were horrible tumors and that he was in a lot of pain and would probably have to be put down out of mercy. But apparently they're just benign cysts that don't hurt him and he's fine. Miracle dog. She said he's maybe four years old. He's 90 pounds of pure muscle. And he's got old bite scars on his face which the vet said probably came from years ago when he was maybe attacked by another dog, but she said that he probably wasn't used in any dogfighting situations. Possibly used as a breeder dog. Really messed up. The main problem is that he has a torn ACL which we need to get fixed and will cost us some. Looks like he got hit by a car recently and messed up his hind leg. We've got him taking some pain meds but this nutcase doesn't even care, he just wants to run around regardless of his limp. Just the sweetest guy ever. He hasn't barked once, has no problems with other dogs, and just loves to lick our faces while we drink beers and play loud guitars. I just love this guy. We were walking down the street with him yesterday, and between the two of us and this terrifying-looking pit bull, everyone was just crossing the street and getting the living hell out of our way. Weirdest thing that makes me know he was abused in some way is that we'll give him cheeseburgers and loads of dog food and he won't eat it in front of us. Like he gets really nervous when we give him food. Shane and I have to pull him toward the bowl and whenever he takes a bite, he looks back at us like we're about to punish him for eating. I got down on all fours today and pretended to be a dog eating dog food  out of his bowl to show him that being a dog and eating food was okay, and then he seemed to get the joke and just licked my face and started to chow down. Definitely our spiritual animal. But he eats when we leave him alone. Otherwise he just wants to hang. By the way, I was just acting. Didn't have it in me to actually take a bite but hey, Kenny took a bite. -- Schwarzenegger dog is so afraid of Shane's cat... He likes other dogs but just whimpers when this tiny cat stares him down. -- Well Kenny Dog had a pretty bad epileptic seizure last night... So that throws me another curveball. He didn't look like he was in pain but still concerning. -- So in a nice twist, it turns out that my cousin's wife didn't want to be a law professor at Northwestern anymore and preferred to run an animal shelter in wealthy Evanston, Illinois, where people apparently can't stop donating funds. So looks like Kenny-boy is going to get his surgery. And that's just a huge relief that this is going to happen. Probably headed for adoption. I want to keep this damn guy because I just love him but I'm freakin allergic. Never barks. Is that good? Probably good. But I feel like if I were a messed up pit bull I'd be barking quite a bit. -- Alright I miss Ken-Dog like hell but he's already been adopted by some rich family in Evanston, Illinois, probably learning about the virtues of Joe Biden, veganism, and intersectional feminism. He's got an awesome life. I guess his leg was actually way more messed up than we thought and he was in some pain which is why he was shuddering at night when we thought he was having seizures. Great to hear he already got some surgeries and that he's sleeping easily because I love that dog. I almost think I should take my chances just walking in traffic on the Kennedy Expressway and see how it works out.

Evanston Animal Shelter is a top-notch animal shelter that truly cares about rescues. They're…read moreprofessional and conscientious. If something were to happen to me, and with no other options, I have confidence that my beloved dog would be taken care of conscientiously by Evanston Animal Shelter.