Englewood – The Englewood pantry has reopened for the new year to serve neighbors with groceries and other essentials.
The IMAN Food and Wellness Center, 1216 West 63rd Street, a food pantry set up by the Inner City Islamic Action Network, is stocked with fresh produce, meat, and halal options, as well as personal protective equipment, cleaning materials, and hygiene products.
Residents can stop by the store from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, 4-6 p.m. on Thursdays and 9-11 a.m. on Saturdays.
The Inner City Islamic Action Network opened its pantry this summer thanks to a grant from the Greater Chicago Food Depot.
The food pantry has a “customer’s choice model,” which gives neighbors the option of pushing around a cart and pulling items out rather than handing over a crate of food.
The goal is to create an environment where community members can “come and pick whatever they want as if they were shopping at a grocery store with some dignity,” community organizer Ahmed Gitan previously said.
“This is not just a place to distribute food, but a place to build sustainable communities around food,” Gaitan said.
The store is located across the street from the group’s upcoming Englewood Fresh Market, which aims to increase the community’s access to healthy food through local produce and meals from local chefs.
Regulators say the market is still in the works.
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