Ravenswood Community Services (RCS)
Ravenswood Community Services (RCS) grew out of All Saints’ Episcopal Church’s strong commitment to meaningful neighborhood outreach. With deep support from the church, RCS operates a Food Pantry and Community Kitchen out of All Saints’ parish hall at 1757 West Wilson Avenue. RCS is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, and is an agency of the Episcopal Charities and Community Services. We partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, First Slice, The Night Ministry and DePaul’s School of Nursing to provide our neighbors a nutritional mix of groceries, a hot meal and access to health services. RCS also has a strong partnership with Ravenswood School, where we lead two different programs to help 7th and 8th graders consider and plan for their futures. RCS enthusiastically accepts tax-deductible donations to help provide hunger relief in our neighborhood.
The majority of RCS’ Tuesday Night neighbors live within the 
blocks surrounding Hermitage and Wilson. In a typical month, we provide groceries to people who live on Ainslie, Ashland, Belle Plaine, Clark, Damen, Hermitage, Lawrence, Leavitt, Leland, Magnolia, Malden, Montrose, Paulina, Pensacola, Ravenswood, Sunnyside, Wilson and Winnemac.
About 80% of the neighbors who come to our Food Pantry and Community Kitchen on Tuesday nights are elderly, on a fixed income, working poor people or families in our community. 20% of our Tuesday Night neighbors are homeless and living on the streets. This year -- in this difficult economic climate – RCS is serving more hungry neighbors than ever before. In 2008, as compared to the first ten months of 2007, we saw the need increase by more than 35% -- to more than 300 neighbors every Tuesday night.
There are two off-duty police officers on-site at RCS during the Food Pantry and Community Kitchen every Tuesday night, from 5 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. Our neighborhood outreach officers are specially trained to manage issues that may arise among our neighbors, and are available to everyone in our community.
Ravenswood Community Services is supported by a committed community. Every Tuesday night, we have 30 – 50 volunteers on-site to help distribute groceries, build community, and cook and serve a hot meal. Our volunteer roster includes All Saints’ parishioners, neighbors who live on our block and in the surrounding area, local business people, families, children and teachers from Ravenswood School and Lawrence Hall, and residents of Misericordia, among others. We are a sought-after site for students to complete their community service requirements, and have hosted student volunteers from Amundsen, Lakeview, Northside College Prep, Payton and Whitney Young high schools. We regularly receive in-kind donations from local residents, Alderman Gene Schulter’s office and area churches including Our Lady of Lourdes and Christ Church Chicago.
We are members of the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce.
We could not serve the people of our community without the help of our neighborhood partners.
We are proud to be an agency of Episcopal Charities and Community Services.
We work with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to distribute USDA commodities.
The Night Ministry supports us in our health outreach efforts.
DePaul's Nursing Department partners with us to provide health skills education to its students and to our hungry neighbors.
We reach out to all neighbors in hopes of creating a community of connections, respecting the dignity of every human being.
RCS is an agency of Episcopal Charities and Community Services.
Come join us on Tuesday nights. To learn more visit the RCS website.
