HELPING EACH OTHER COPE WITH COVID19: Mission News and Updates
As the COVID-19 situation continues, we have decided that... (See timeline pictures below)
-The Tuesday pantry and the mobile pantry will remain open
-Limited volunteer opportunities are available. Details:
Volunteers must be between the ages of 18 and 65
You cannot work in healthcare or live with someone who works in healthcare (we are praying for all healthcare workers but need to keep the pantry safe!)
It must be at least 14 days since you’ve attended a protest or traveled to a state on the Illinois list.
You don’t think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 otherwise
You MUST RSVP to olamission@gmail.com. Volunteers who do not RSVP will not be allowed to volunteer.
- We will continue to accept ALL FOOD DONATIONS, toiletries, and COVID-19 prevention items (masks, hand sanitizer etc.). Please call or e-mail if you'd like to bring these donations by- olamission@gmail.com / 773-486-8431 or buy food for us on the Amazon wish list HERE.
-We CANNOT accept ANY used donations - clothing, household goods etc. Please hold ALL of these things until after this is over and we will be happy to accept it.
This week's Tuesday pantry + Saturday pantry = 847 families served. Thank you for your amazing support!
October 2020
10/4/2020
Thank you to Seeds of Service from St. Isaac Jogues for donating TONS AND TONS of non-perishable food. Thank you for easingthe anxieties of getting through Christmas!
September 2020
9/13/2020
Bishop Elect Bob Lombardo continues his work at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels! He will remain here after his ordination on 11/13/20.
9/6/2020
We wanted to make the grand announcement that Thanksgiving and Christmas have not been and will not be cancelled at Mission OLA! We will be doing some TBA exciting outdoor events. Keep checking in here for all the info. If you want to get involved in some capacity by colleting donations etc. please e-mail olamission@gmail.com.
August 2020
8/30/2020
September mobile pantry is on September 12 NOT on September 5. Please check out the above requirements and RSVP if you’d like to help.
We served 2720 families at the pantries in August! Thanks for the continued support.
8/16/2020
The incredible team of college students who were helping us all spring/ summer have left to go back to school. We need more help at the Tuesday pantry from 7:30 AM to 12 PM. If you are able to help, please e-mail Sr. Stephanie at olamission@gmail.com to confirm (if you meet the above requirements).
8/2/2020
We are looking for more help on August 15 with our BACK TO SCHOOL give away! If you are able to help us distribute school supplies from 8:30 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, August 15, please e-mail olamission@gmail.com. All the neighborhood kids need school supplies if they’re going to school at home or at school! Thanks for considering.
And, THANK YOU, Equipment Depot, for your AMAZING donation of an electric and manual pallet jack to us here at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels. We are very grateful!
July 2020
7/26/2020
We served 702 families at the Tuesday pantry this week!! Thank you for all the continued support.
We need help at the mobile pantry at 8/1 (you'll need to meet the above guidelines). We also need help at the back to school give away on 8/15 (also assuming you meet the above guidelines). If you are able to join us, please e-mail Sr. Stephanie at olamission@gmail.com.
Mobile pantry
8/1 @ Kelly Hall (824 N. Hamlin)
7:30 am to 12 pm
Back to school give away
8/15 @ the school (3814 W. Iowa St.)
8:30 am to 1 pm
7/12/2020
Our seniors/ homebound delivery program (in partnership with Northwestern and MedSpeed) was featured as part of an article featuring innovative solutions to COVID-19 related health problems. HERE (search “Northwestern”). Also, over 650 families served between the Tuesday and mobile pantry this week!
7/5/2020
Our home deliveries to seniors and homebound people continue thanks to our many partners including CPD and the Sherriff as pictured here. CPD and the Sherriff deliver food to those in need. THANK YOU to all who have made our home delivery program possible.
June 2020
6/14/2020
542 at the first ever Mission OLA drive through pantry! Neighbors had the choice to either drive through the pantry or walk up. It is a great success!
6/7/2020
W. Humboldt Park and the west side were dramatically impacted by the looting last weekend. Most stores providing essential services (grocery stores, pharmacies) are closed because of the looting and vandalism.
Our pantries have remained open. Between our 2 pantries this week, we provided food to over 769 families, which doesn’t include our spontaneous give away of 5000 lbs. of meat on Saturday afternoon.
All who have attended any pantry have received at least a week’s worth of balanced meals.
May 2020
5/24/2020
We had a RECORD 729 people at the pantry on Tuesday, May 19. We are VERY blessed to be the recipients of some of the food through the new USDA subsidy program.....12,000 lbs of it!
5/17/2020
The Chicago Tribune featured our partnership with the Asian American Police Officers, which is part of our COVID-19 home delivery program. Thank you to all who help make this happen! See the article HERE (subscription required).
We also have continued to receive tons (literally) of beautiful food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as the picture of our fridge shows. We found out this week we will be receiving food from the new USDA subsidy program, which will dramatically increase the amount of food each person will get at the Tuesday pantry. Thank you for all the continued support!
5/10/20
We have served over 500 families each week at the food pantry for the past month. We’ve only been able to do this through the generosity of thousands of people. Here is a page giving you a sense of what the pantries have been like during COVID-19.
5/2/20
We served 643 people at the Tuesday pantry and 285 people at the mobile pantry this week. Thank you!
April 2020
4/26/20
We need masks! With the new regulations regarding ALL people needing to wear masks outside of the home, we are hoping to distribute masks at the food pantry. Can you make a mask? Yes, you can!
Here are the sew and non-sew options from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/…/prevent…/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
If you are able to make masks and send to us, please do so:
Mission of Our Lady of the Angel
3808 W. Iowa St.
Chicago, IL 60651
If you are able to wash the masks and put in ziplock bags before sending and write "washed" on the bag that would be a HUGE HELP.
Let us know if you have a question on this by e-mailing olamission@gmail.com.
AND! Thank you Chicago! Because of your extraordinary generosity we still have food. We are distributing ~20 pallets of food PER WEEK. Keep the food donations coming!
4/19/20
Mission OLA was featured internationally on Al Jazeera.
4/11/20
We served 555 individual families at the Tuesday pantry!
4/4/20
We served 342 families at the Tuesday pantry and ~225 families at the mobile pantry on Saturday! Thank you for all of your support and prayers. Additionally, here are the 500+ bags we have prepped for Tuesday’s pantry.
March 2020
-The actual Shamrock Shuffle was cancelled. Team OLA is now running in a virtual race! All are welcome to join by either joining the facebook group HERE or e-mailing Sr. Stephanie at olamission@gmail.com . A virtual race is when you run wherever you are and post your results/ pictures on a website. We will be having some contests with prizes!
W. Humboldt Park and the west side were dramatically impacted by the looting last weekend. Most stores providing essential services (grocery stores, pharmacies) are closed because of the looting and vandalism. 
We need masks! With the new regulations regarding ALL people needing to wear masks outside of the home, we are hoping to distribute masks at the food pantry. Can you make a mask? Yes, you can!
4/11/20
