By: Helen Bloch
Whoever has attended a traditional Passover Seder is familiar with the verse, “[a]ll who are hungry, let them come and eat.” It is a commitment to welcome and include people in need. The phrase is a reminder that hunger can mean more than a lack of food, as those of us who volunteered at the Ark as part of the WBAI’s Pack the Pantry event learned on January 12, 2025.
The Ark, founded in 1970, is where Chicagoland’s Jewish families and individuals in need find free and confidential services. The Ark does not receive government funding: 98% of its funding is private. According to a 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish population survey, 1 in 5 Jewish families struggle to make ends meet. The Ark services approximately 600 households per month. Not only does it provide food assistance and stock a pantry at its Chicago and suburban locations, it also provides employment, medical, dental, mental health, financial counseling, spiritual, and other assistance. In 2024, it gave out 8,500 prescriptions to its clients. While most of its medical services are provided by volunteer medical professionals, dentistry is a different story. Since Medicaid does not provide dental services, many of its clients neglect their teeth, to the point that many were too embarrassed to attend job interviews the Ark helped them find. Realizing the critical need for dental care, the Ark pooled sufficient resources to hire a dentist. As such, most of the medications it provides stem from dental related care dispensed from its pharmacy, which is staffed by 3 licensed pharmacists.
Prior to the volunteer event, the WBAI advertised the Ark’s wish list so that folks could help those in need whether they could attend in person or not by sending items to the Ark through Amazon. Also, attendees could bring feminine hygiene products and diapers in person. While the event benefited the Ark, it was a wonderful opportunity for WBAI folks to get together for a great cause with friends and family in a casual setting. The volunteers included the Puerto Rican Bar Association President Patti Cintron-Bastin and her spouse, judges, a WBAI vendor, and kids. A great time was had by all sorting and stocking about 1,000 cans of green beans while learning of the needs of those who receive services from the Ark. Attendees got to tour the warehouse and see the inner workings of the food prong of the Ark’s services.
To learn more about the Ark, schedule a volunteer opportunity, or a simple collection drive, visit arkchicago.org or contact Dawn Lieberman, Director of Community Engagement and Education, dlieberman@arkchicago.org.
This article was originally published in the WBAI Winter 2025 Newsletter on pages 42-43.