To deliver on our mission and signature initiatives, the JLC partners with several organizations in the Chicagoland area. Our members donate their time and resources to ensure these organizations can support community members in need, and we’re proud to work with them. 

Earlier this year, the Junior League donated more than $7,700 to Ravenswood Community Services. Read on to learn more about what we did and how the community benefited from our partnership with this incredible organization. Ravenswood Community Services has been a League favorite service opportunity for years and we are excited to continue our long-term partnership with them.

About Ravenswood Community Services:

Ravenswood Community Services provides meals, groceries, basic health services, and life-skills education to neighbors in need in the Uptown and Ravenswood communities on the north side of Chicago. 

Our Ongoing Partnership:

Our work in aiding the fight against food insecurities in Chicago makes Ravenswood Community Services a great partner. Additionally, RCS services a neighborhood in which a lot of Junior League Members live and work.

The JLC participates in a variety of service opportunities for RCS including meal prep and grocery distributions on Tuesdays, a monthly neighborhood mobile pantry held at Ravenswood Elementary School, and we were the first ally of RCS to help get their Elementary school after-school pantry program off the ground in Fall 2021!

Impact of the JLC’s Monetary Support:

To make its mission a reality, Ravenswood Community Services prepares more than 200 hot meals and more than 400 individually packed sandwiches every week. They had a kitchen wishlist that was longing to be fulfilled, and the Junior League of Chicago was able to fulfill it,  as well as stock the kitchen with new kitchen utensils and appliances.

The Junior League of Chicago Community Council leaders & JLC Operations Manager were able to spend another portion of this donation by curating a list of items needed for RCS’s monthly school pantry. With this donation, we were able to assist with the extension of the Ravenswood Community Services pantry program to two more schools in the neighborhood.

Impact of the JLC’s Volunteer Support:

To make the wishlist fulfillment possible, our Done In a Day Committee Chairs and Community Vice President put together Amazon wishlists and spreadsheets, which took more than 12 hours to complete.. Orders were placed over the next week and a half and then loaded up to be delivered. It took two car loads full of goodies – and the help of four League members – to deliver everything to the pantry.

For more information on Ravenswood Community Services, please visit their website https://ravenswoodcommunityservices.org/.