Foster students restock pantry
June 14, 2012 1:50PM
Carol Ettema, food pantry director at Together We Cope, tells first-graders from Foster School in Oak Forest about the pantry’s operation. | Supplied Photo
Updated: July 18, 2012 6:05AM
First-graders at Foster Elementary School in Oak Forest recently visited Together We Cope as a prize for collecting the most food in a school-wide drive this spring.
Teacher Alison O’Connor’s first-grade class donated hundreds of items during the campaign, which resulted in a total of 2,117 items collected by the school’s students and staff.
As winners of the drive, the first-graders took a field trip to Together We Cope in Tinley Park to tour its food pantry and learn about the various services the agency provides to area residents.
Pantry director Carol Ettema, volunteer coordinator Cate Dietz and TWC volunteers showed the children around the food pantry and talked about how it serves families in the community.
Foster social worker Libby Tiffy said she chose Together We Cope as the school’s community service partner for this year because of the impact the agency has on people in the community.
“It was great to collect food for Together We Cope so they can continue to provide their services,” she said.
“I was humbled by the amount of items brought in by Foster Elementary staff and students,” Dietz said. “We really enjoyed having them visit the food pantry. They were a lot of fun.”
Together We Cope is a nonprofit agency based in Tinley Park that assists families in crisis from 22 south suburban communities through its food pantry and resale shop, and with financial aid for some costs such as mortgage, rent and utility payments.
For more information about Together We Cope, call (708) 633-5040 or email Dietz at cdietz@togetherwecope.org.
Provided to the SouthtownStar
