FATHER MICHAEL PFLEGER shared his concerns with the press about the increasing food insecurity that exists for homeless Chicagoans and the growing migrant population.
Set to fight for indigenous homeless
Father Michael Pfleger hired six Black caterers to help him feed 1,400 people on Christmas Day, in addition to rallying scores of volunteers who delivered meals and toys to 12 South Side shelters, two veterans’ homes, and distributed $100 gift cards donated by Mellody Hobson and her husband George Lucas.
This year, Pfleger chose Black caterers BJ Markets & Baker (John and Hank Meyer), Nicole Jordan Catering (Nicole Jordan), Traditions Catering (Nate Pendleton), Just-N-Time Catering (Justin Butler), Brown Sugar Bakeries (Stephanie Hart) and Clark Catering (Konya Clark).
“They make the money. We invest in them both on the South and West sides of Chicago,” Pfleger said.
“They are great Black restaurant owners. We are giving out toys, dinners to everybody and Mellody Hobson and George Lucas gave $100 Target gift cards to the mothers in the shelters, and toys for their children.”
While the weather was unseasonably warm for this time of year, on Christmas Day scores of volunteers were busy at St. Sabina Church packing and delivering food, toys and gift cards to children and their parents living in South Side shelters.
Busy orchestrating the event were Pfleger and Father Thulani Magwaza, as more volunteers arrived, many of whom had trucks, to deliver the gifts.
Pfleger went the extra mile in getting food for 1,400 people because the need is so great. “I’ve been here for 49 years, and I have never seen the need for food, sleeping bags and coats so great,” Pfleger told reporters during a press conference at St. Sabina Church.
Asked about the growing food insecurity issue, Pfleger told reporters, “What we are finding from people living in the shelters is that they are going around looking and asking for food.
“Those shelters are filled with both homeless people from Chicago, and the migrants. The shelters are filled, and a lot of people can’t get into them. The need for food is tremendous,” Pfleger said, “and that includes the working poor who are barely getting by.
“If we can give them a Christmas dinner and let them know we care about them, let them know they are loved and give them toys for their children, that is all we want to do, is to bless them,” said Pfleger.
“Right now, we are getting anywhere from 30 to 60 people every day coming to our door asking for food, coats or sleeping bags. The need is tremendous,” he said.
Besides his parish adopting a number of migrants, Pfleger continues to help Chicago’s homeless sleeping under viaducts and in tent cities along the expressways. Later on Christmas Day, he and his supporters delivered gifts to homeless sites on Lower Wacker Drive, Canalport, and downtown. The gifts were donated by members of St. Sabina and supporters.
Pfleger also told the Chicago Crusader he and his supporters will be addressing the rise in homelessness and the subsequent need for more resources, including housing.
During the St. Sabina Midnight Mass, Pfleger had couples acting out skits and talking about the anger that exists in the Black community concerning the migrants and the many resources they are getting and how Blacks continue to be left behind. Pfleger doesn’t want “anyone to be left behind” and has vowed to fight for the rights of Chicago’s homeless population, most of whom are Black and hungry.
Food insecurity is a problem in Chicago and according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, one in five Chicago households is experiencing food insecurity, reports Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO. She says the need for more food can be attributed to an elevation of food prices along with the rise in inflation, and then there is the border problem.
“When we saw the number of asylum seekers arriving from the southern U.S. border continue to rise, we responded,” said Maehr in her annual report. “When we saw many in our communities struggling to access a healthy meal, we responded.
“These responses were in addition to our continued work to end hunger in Chicago and Cook County and were possible because of your support,” she said referring to many donors who help the Greater Chicago Food Depository meet the growing needs of food insecure people.
