Hundreds of Hinsdale-area children who eat free or reduced-price meals during the school year lost that safety net when classes ended in June. Two HCS Family Services food pantries are working to fill the gap, and demand is climbing.

At the Hinsdale pantry at 22 N. Elm St., lead volunteer Peggy Callahan and her team packed 140 bags of milk, meat, produce, dry goods, and personal care products on Monday, July 7, anticipating a surge after the July 4 holiday weekend. On a typical distribution day, they prepare between 120 and 150 bags.

"We never really know how many people we're going to get," Callahan told the Hinsdalean.

The summer food program at HCS's second location, a school-based pantry at Anne M. Jeans Elementary School in Willowbrook, is projected to serve about 225 children this summer, according to HCS. That site is restricted to families with children 18 or younger who attend District 86 or one of its elementary and middle school feeder districts.

The need is quantifiable. According to the most recent Illinois Report Card, 13.3% of students in Hinsdale Township High School District 86 are classified as low-income, meaning their families qualify for free or reduced-price meal assistance. When school lets out, those meals disappear. Across both pantry locations, HCS serves more than 500 food-insecure families per week.

Callahan, a Hinsdale resident of more than three decades, started volunteering with HCS several years ago, shortly before the agency moved from the Memorial Building to its current Elm Street home. She began filling bags and grew into the lead role. She also volunteers through St. Isaac Jogues Church's transitional housing outreach.

The Hinsdale pantry operates as a drive-thru on Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 1 to 2 p.m. Cars line up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church parking lot next door, which opens one hour before distribution. Volunteers load pre-packed bags into open trunks. In-person shopping is available by appointment; call 630-280-8730 on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. to schedule.

The Willowbrook drive-thru at Anne M. Jeans Elementary, 16W631 91st St., operates Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. through the summer, according to the CCSD 180 summer schedule.

HCS Family Services accepts food donations at the Hinsdale location Mondays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. Financial donations and volunteer sign-ups are available at hcsfamilyservices.org. Volunteer coordinator Nancy Nyheim can be reached at (630) 323-2500, ext. 110.

Hinsdale Education Week Ahead

Monday, July 13 — District 86 Board of Education Special Meeting, District Administrative Center, 5500 S. Grant St., Hinsdale. Agenda not yet publicly posted. Check hinsdale86.org for updates.

Wednesdays through August 6 — HCS Family Services drive-thru food pantry at Anne M. Jeans Elementary School, 16W631 91st St., Willowbrook, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Open to families with students in District 86 feeder districts.

District 181 has not publicly posted its summer board meeting schedule. Residents can check d181.org or call the district office for updates.