Ravenswood Community Services

Every Tuesday night, between 250 and 350 neighbors come to our Food Pantry seeking a bag of groceries. We provide a nutritionally balanced grocery bag to each person, which includes fresh milk, bread and meat. We also offer a "no-kitchen" option with easy-to-fix items and pop-top lids for our neighbors who primarily live on the streets. Our Community Kitchen provides a family-style meal for more than 120 neighbors each week. Teams of dedicated volunteers prepare and serve a hot entree, vegetable, bread and often dessert. The majority of our patrons reside within a twelve-block area but some travel from as far as the South Side for our meal and fellowship. Several times a year, our dining hall is transformed into a four-star restaurant called the All Saints' Cafe. At our Cafe, our neighbors enjoy choosing a gourmet multi-course meal from a specially prepared menu. Choices include wonderful delights such as prime rib, Oriental stir-fry and Greek chicken. They are also attended to by a wait staff and surrounded by music and entertainment. We partner with Ravenswood School in hopes of ensuring a powerful future for young people in our neighborhood. We produce the "Reality Fair," a three-dimensional manifestation of the popular board game Life. This virtual game teaches 8th graders practical life skills through choices and financial realities, and it helps students consider their futures. In our newest program, "focus:future," mentors guide soon-to-be-graduating students through the stressful and competitive high school program application process.