Support our neighbors in need by donating to Common Pantry!


Our community’s needs continue to grow during these difficult times, and Coonley Cares is partnering with Common Pantry in an effort to provide some relief. Can you join us in supporting both area families that are food insecure and struggling local establishments?

The need at Common Pantry has risen by 100% since the start of the coronavirus crisis; they now are providing for over 600 families and making emergency food deliveries to homebound seniors in our community. They also have launched the “I Am Your Neighbor” program, which funds meals from local, independent restaurants for families in need.

Here’s how you can help:

1.  Make a monetary donation. All proceeds will go directly to the I Am Your Neighbor program and Common Pantry. For a $30 donation you'll receive a Coonley Cares wine-bottle tote. For a $60 donation, you’ll receive a double wine-bottle tote. And for a $100 donation you’ll receive your choice of a wine tote or a Coonley Cares umbrella. Click here to donate!

2.  Donate to our Common Pantry food drive. Drop off any items by Sunday, May 3 -- no-contact porch dropoff at 1920 W. Warner Ave. Specific needs of pantry clients include coffee, cooking oil, diapers in sizes 4-6, full-size shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste -- check out the full wish list.

How does the 'I Am Your Neighbor' program work?

Common Pantry, with support from the chambers of commerce in Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, Northcenter and Roscoe Village, has partnered with a growing list of restaurants to “open a tab” for those who are food insecure.

With new safety protocols in place, Common Pantry’s regular distribution of emergency groceries for clients has shifted to pre-packaged groceries, limiting the “shopping” experience that had previously provided more individual choice. This new “I Am Your Neighbor” program provides some level of choice for those in need while also bringing business to local restaurants.

Participating restaurants include our very own Coonley Core member, Tuscan Hen. Click here for a complete list of participating restaurants.

About Coonley Cares

Coonley shows its giving spirit every day – inside our school and community, and beyond. Coonley Cares highlights opportunities for students, parents and staff to show Coonley love through kindness, community-building efforts and service projects, and through fundraisers that support fellow Chicago Public School students in need throughout the city.
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Since its inception in 2017, Coonley Cares has supported the following efforts:
  • Books and supplies for Reilly Elementary School's library
  • Foundations of Music, a local organization that serves more than 7,000 students in more than 30 underserved CPS schools who may not otherwise be exposed to music education
  • Coat Angels, providing winter gear for children in need
  • Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE), an organization that engages students, inspires teachers, and demonstrates impact by weaving visual, digital, and performing arts into classrooms across Chicago.
  • Common Pantry, providing emergency food and social services to our neighbors in need
  • MUSIC Inc,, providing K-12 tuition-free instrumental music programs and on-site programming in Chicago schools and community centers
  • Embarc, a program that provides community-driven, experienced-based learning opportunities to low-income High School students to inspire and prepare them for college and career success.