The Neighborhood Bridge Opens the Essentials Pantry in August

The Essentials Pantry, one of three service pillars of The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB), will launch the week of August 18 in the lower level of the Bridge Center (the former St. Catherine-St. Lucy rectory) in conjunction with back-to-school activities at all five partner schools.

Prentice Butler, executive director of TNB, says the goal of the Essentials Pantry “is to provide household necessities and hygiene products, enabling students and other family members to focus on their well-being and education so they ultimately thrive.”

The idea of providing household necessities free of charge to families of the children at our partner schools surfaced in the initial online survey, sent to school families in March of 2023. Several survey respondents said they needed a source for essentials like home-cleaning products, detergent and toiletries — which makes sense, since aid programs like SNAP/food stamps only cover food purchases.

Putting in context the contribution the pantry can make to a family’s household budget, Jackie Benson, TNB’s business manager and the staff person overseeing operation of the pantry, says, “If a family were to order one of every item offered in the Essentials Pantry, that represents a savings of nearly $45 per order, money that can be applied to more critical needs like rent, food, or car repairs for the household.”

Probing further, members of TNB’s Communications Committee developed and emailed a second survey to school families in 2024, asking them to identify the household essentials they needed most. With a response rate of more than 22%, the survey indicated that the most needed items are household cleaning products, like laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, and paper towels, and personal care products, like soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products.

With feedback from the families in hand, TNB’s leadership team decided that the large storage room in the lower level of the rectory would be devoted to the Essentials Pantry. Leadership also set aside a portion of the $100,000 grant TNB received to renovate the rectory, as previously reported, to build out the Essentials Pantry. And they decided to offer only new goods, preferably strong brand names that are culturally appropriate. The products will be purchased in bulk by TNB, and community members will be able to contribute by ordering and paying for a selection of the goods we stock through an online service like DreamList.

Families will place their orders through each school’s designated staff person, acting as the school’s liaison to The Neighborhood Bridge. Orders will be packed by volunteers, and families can either pick up their orders at The Neighborhood Bridge or have them delivered by a volunteer to a pick-up spot at the school their child attends.

Christine Wedekind, raised in Austin and a member of the St. Catherine-St. Lucy community, serves as the volunteer coordinator for the Essentials Pantry. When fully functioning, the pantry will need 30 or so active volunteers to respond to the demand. With about a dozen people already on board as volunteers, Christine is encouraged by what is possible.

“As a lifetime member of this community,” she said, “I have always been impressed and humbled by the generosity of the members of our faith community and the greater Oak Park and Austin communities. Working in the Essentials Pantry is all about neighbors helping neighbors.”

Recently TNB’s leadership, spearheaded by Development Director Vimla Homan, asked Wintrust Bank to jump-start the operations of the pantry by underwriting the cost of the goods ordered in 2025.

Wintrust generously agreed, eager to help our families in multiple ways to achieve what the bank calls “financial wellness.” In notifying TNB of Wintrust’s intention to provide the full amount of the grant requested, Matt Gambs, Wintrust’s chief impact officer, said, “We are proud to be in on the ground floor of this important work.”

To make sure that TNB isn’t overwhelmed by families’ requests, we have asked our liaisons at all five schools to send no more than five orders per week during August and September. By mid-September, Jackie and Christine will assess the capacity of our volunteers to fill orders and may suggest relaxing that limit.

The school liaisons are eager to let families know about the availability of Essentials Pantry. Katie Olson, principal at Christ the King College Preparatory School explained, “Many families are experiencing financial stressors at this time. Through the Essentials Pantry, we can help ensure they have access to essential hygiene products and household cleaning supplies, easing some of their burden. This initiative offers a wonderful opportunity for Christ the King, in collaboration with The Neighborhood Bridge, to provide vital support, with dignity.”

If you are interested in donating to The Essentials Pantry, please reach out to Jackie Benson at jacquelynbenson@theneighborhoodbridge.org.

If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Christine Wedekind at christine.wedekind@aol.com