NewsPosted July 20, 2020 Chicago, IL, U.S.: Chicago Church Serves Up a Lifeline

by Kristine Fraser, courtesy Adventist News Network

The looting that followed the George Floyd protests devastated some Chicago, Illinois, neighborhoods, leaving residents even more desperate for basic services during the pandemic.

In early June, on Chicago’s Southside where Goshen Seventh-day Adventist Church is located, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, and several retail stores were wiped clean of merchandise. In some instances, the buildings sustained major damage.

The church is in one of the poorest areas in the city, which had already seen a surge in COVID-19 infections and an elevated rate of gun violence. When reports streamed in of residents pleading for help in the midst of the dueling crises, the church leadership knew they had to do something. But what could they do?

Then word soon came from members that they had no place to purchase food. That’s when plans to organize a food drive kicked into gear.