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)
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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…

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