Vestry Representative: Hendris Grenier
Free meals are available in Waukegan/ North Chicago/Zion almost every day of the week. While multiple sites serve meals on Saturday (2 in Waukegan, 1 in North Chicago) and Wednesdays (2 Waukegan, 1 Zion. In Waukegan Christ Church hosts community meal on Sundays, St. Anastasia on Mondays, First United Methodist on Tuesdays, Shiloh Baptist on Wednesdays, and North Shore Church of Christ on Saturdays. Holy Family Ministry Center sponsors the meal 4 days per week.
Christ Church has been the host site for the Sunday Community Meal in Waukegan since 1981. While the volunteers and menus have changed over time, the basic goal and format of community meal has remained the same. We minimally provide a hot, square meal to any person who comes during serving hours, we attempt to give more when we can. Our hope is that through participating in Community Meal both volunteers and guests will build relationships, develop mutual respect, and increase understanding among the diverse members of our communities.
To provide sustenance to our neighbors
with compassion, patience, and dignity.
By and large the various community meals are funded and staffed completely by the hosting congregations. Christ Church is the only site that utilizes teams from other churches and organizations to host the meal. We have four (4) teams currently. Our own team, New Hope (Formerly, Living Faith), Church of the Holy Spirit and St. Gregory’s.
Recent attendance at community meal has been averaging 65 to 100. The vast majority of guests are adults and though we have seen increasing numbers of children in the last couple of years. Typically, numbers are higher later in the month. Some of the guests are truly homeless. Most are low income and live in subsidized housing in the area. Many of the guests are regulars. Some have been participating in the program since its beginning. A few are one time participants who are passing through the area. Most are lifelong residents of Waukegan who are well known throughout the community.
The guests at community meal represent a good cross section of the face of poverty in the United States. Even when they possess cooking skills, they typically lack facilities to prepare meals. It is our pleasure to help them with a meal!
