“There was a lot of work to do in the space, and we’re just a bunch of bartenders and chefs,” Magro said. They got to work fixing up the space, putting up drywall and giving the walls fresh coats of paint, and then used their hospitality industry connections to fill it with donated items, from clothes and shoes to food and personal hygiene products. Thanks to a donor, the group members signed a two-year lease on the vacant Division Street storefront. … The moment that happened we sounded the alarm and were like: How can we help? How can we raise money? How can we do something?” Magro said. “We all lost our jobs as a collective group of people in the hospitality industry. Soon after joining forces, the hospitality workers settled on opening a community center and free store in Humboldt Park to “alleviate some of the stresses that affect people on a daily basis and their mental health,” Magro said. The free store is a joint effort between Magro and the other hospitality professionals who run Support Staff, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking down mental health barriers in the hospitality industry, and Claire Lyerla, bartender at The Continental. They’re right here.” Credit: Mina Bloom/Block Club Chicago Inside the free store at 2712 W. “People need things, and they don’t have to go looking for it. It’s good for the neighborhood,” longtime Humboldt Park resident Dorothy Jones said during a recent shopping trip. Supported by donations, people can come in for clothes, food, books, household items and other essentials. “It’s easy to donate a dollar from every drink, but how do you take that a step further and how do you actually engage with members of the community?” said Magro, beverage director for The Orbit Group. The hospitality workers, who were struggling themselves during the pandemic, came up with the idea as they brainstormed a mutual aid project to help neighbors trying to make ends meet, organizer Kristina Magro said. HUMBOLDT PARK - A free store launched last year to help neighbors get basic necessities is still going strong, frequently selling out as residents stock up in the ongoing pandemic.Ī group of restaurant and bar workers in the Humboldt Park area started the People Over Profit free store last spring inside an old driving school at 2712 W.
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