Open Access Program Director Nick Koster takes a bag of food from a volunteer on Nov. 17. More than a dozen volunteers from the youth group of the First Reformed Church of South Holland helped get meal packages organized. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Feature

Open Access provides Thanksgiving meals for 1,000 families

The holidays are a magical time filled with excess and luxury for some, but for a lot of people in the area it is a time when ongoing struggles are magnified. For those living with food insecurity, just having meals from day to day is a challenge and the idea of having a big feast with all the trimmings is out of reach.

The staff at Open Access in Homewood, with assistance from many volunteers and donors, help to lessen that burden for many families as Thanksgiving approaches. 

Open Access Program Director Nick Koster takes a bag of food from a volunteer on Nov. 17. More than a dozen volunteers from the youth group of the First Reformed Church of South Holland helped get meal packages organized. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Open Access Program Director Nick Koster takes a bag of food from a volunteer on Nov. 17. More than a dozen volunteers from the youth group of the First Reformed Church of South Holland helped get meal packages organized. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)

“Open Access is a non-profit organization that seeks to fill gaps in our underserved community. We partner with local agencies, businesses, schools and individuals to develop programs that impact the lives of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Program Director Nicholas Koster. 

In 2013, Open Access began giving away the makings of a Thanksgiving meal through a one-day distribution project. The goodwill effort helped 100 families. 

“We decided we were going to increase every year until there was no more demand in our area for what we were providing. The next year we provided 250. The year after that, 500. In 2019, we provided 1,300 meals. We kept it going in a very small way in 2020 despite the pandemic, only providing 400 meals to the community,” Koster said. 

This year, they’ll be providing 1,000 meals. 

“Many of our residents live with food insecurity every day. They simply cannot afford to have consistent food throughout the year, let alone a traditional Thanksgiving meal. This has been further exacerbated by the inflation and supply chain issues that have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. This event provided these families a meal during the holiday they simply would not have been able to have otherwise,” Koster said.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Thanksgiving Cost Survey, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal is up 13% over 2021. Illinois’ Thanksgiving costs reflect prices that are higher than the national average with an increase of 20% for the cost of a full Thanksgiving meal in comparison to 2021.

Through the giveaway, all families received a frozen turkey and bag of side dishes, including stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and green beans. 

Volunteers from the First Reformed Church of South Holland help Open Access of Homewood organize bags of food in preparation for the organization's annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Volunteers from the First Reformed Church of South Holland help Open Access of Homewood organize bags of food in preparation for the organization’s annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway. (Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)

“Our goal is twofold. First, to provide a holiday meal to vulnerable families in our area and hopefully (we made) Thanksgiving less stressful and a little brighter,” said Koster. “Second, to shine a light on the problem of hunger in our area.”

Participants are pre-registered with lists coming from agencies, organizations and schools that Open Access partners with. Organizations and individuals visited the building the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to pick up the meals.

Much of the donations were distributed via representatives from organizations or schools. Some families come in person and are also able to take advantage of a free clothing closet on site that’s stocked with clothing, coats, toiletries and other household items.

“The turkey distribution is our largest, single-day event on the calendar,” said Koster. “We have other programs that run all year round, such as our free Clothing Closet, our Backpack program that provides school children with supplemental food assistance, etc. But this is our big event. This is the one we get up for every year, so to speak.”

Donations come from a number of sources, ranging from generous local businesses to individuals and through fundraising efforts. 

“We are so fortunate that we are located in a community that is so giving and supportive,” Koster said.

Volunteers make the event — and other Open Access events — possible and Koster said he hopes that their giveaway and volunteer numbers return to pre-pandemic levels next year. 

“Open Access is completely volunteer driven and completely funded by donations. We have volunteers who help us collect the items, pack the bags and distribute them on the day — not to mention the individuals who have donated food items at a local business in Homewood. We can’t do this without a huge group of countless individuals who have a heart for the community and a desire to give back. This is the best of Homewood and beyond coming together to make this happen,” said Koster. 

For more information on volunteering or donating, call 708-799-9190.

“In our community, hunger may seem like a distant problem, but it isn’t,” Koster said. “Hunger and food insecurity exist in our community, in our neighborhood and on the very street we live on. 

“This giveaway was meant to provide these families some much needed relief during a hectic holiday. But we hope that it also shows how pervasive the problem of hunger is in our own back yard.”

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