250 boxes of food given away to residents

CHICAGO (CBS) — In the West Garfield Park neighborhood, a market store moves retired and anticipation moves in, successful the signifier of an exigency nutrient giveaway.

CBS 2’s Marissa Parra shows america what was done today, and what advocates are pushing for tomorrow.

READ MORE: Naperville College Student One Of 8 People Killed During Astroworld Concert

It’s been astir 1 period since the boards went up and the doors closed for the last clip astatine the Garfield Park Aldi, seemingly without warning

Volunteers spent Saturday stepping successful and stepping up; giving distant nutrient lone feet distant from wherever groceries utilized to beryllium sold.

“This Aldi’s been present since arsenic agelong arsenic I’ve been here, and to spot it conscionable spell distant is decidedly devastating, particularly for the community,” said Leoshay Dobbs, who works successful assemblage engagement astatine Rush University Medical Center.

The Aldi market store that served West Garfield Park for 3 decades shuttered abruptly astir 1 period ago.

“I privation the Lord they would enactment it back,” said Earlene Boyle, who lives crossed the street.

Boyle present takes a bust to the nearest market store, a Save A Lot astir a mile away, not precisely an casual travel astatine her age.

“I’m 81 years old, and truthful that takes a full batch of clip for me,” she said.

An Aldi spokesperson cited “declining sales,” adding that the now-shuttered store had been operating “at a nonaccomplishment for respective years.”

“Nearly a period ago, we made the hard determination to permanently adjacent our store located astatine 3835 W. Madison. We instrumentality the closing of this determination precise seriously. Our determination was based connected respective factors, including consistently declining sales and the information that we’ve operated this determination astatine a nonaccomplishment for respective years. Poor income show and accrued expenses person simply made it unsustainable to support the store open,” the institution said successful a statement. “We person been arrogant to service the residents of the West Garfield Park vicinity implicit the past 30 years, and we convey our customers for their loyalty. We look guardant to continuing to service them astatine 1 of our galore stores nearby, including a store astatine 800 N. Kedzie, which is conscionable implicit 1 mile from the erstwhile determination connected W. Madison.”

READ MORE: 2 People Dead Following Domestic Disturbance In Joliet

Not everyone is buying Aldi’s explanation.

“Who is to blame? Well, archetypal is Aldi themselves,” said Dr. David Ansell, elder vice president for assemblage wellness equity astatine Rush University Medical Center. “It’s an enactment of violence, due to the fact that radical person been enactment successful harm’s mode by Aldi’s leaving, and entree to caller foods and vegetables removed from the community.”

Ansell is portion of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative (GPRWC) squad who organized the exigency nutrient distribution on Saturday.

“Life expectancy successful this vicinity is the lowest successful the West Side of Chicago; many, galore causes, but fig 1 is cardiovascular disease, for which nutrient is medicine,” Ansell said. “You person 4 elder buildings wrong walking region here, half the radical successful this vicinity don’t person cars.”

Volunteers distributed 250 boxes’ worthy of nutrient to anxious West Garfield Park residents, immoderate of whom lined up hours up of time.

“I got carrots, I got immoderate bully vegetables, I emotion vegetables,” said Warren Gardner, who lives crossed the street, sifting done his bags. “A large ole chicken! That’s adjacent better.”

As families loaded carts, advocates were looking forward.

“We’re going to beryllium retired present for the adjacent six weeks, but aft the six weeks, what’s next? How are radical going to get entree to steadfast nutrient speech from state stations oregon country stores?” said Dobbs, gesturing towards the country store crossed the street, with a motion that says “Madison Supermarket” adjacent to images advertizing soda and chips. “You can’t marque a repast retired of that.”

GPRWC said they’ve been successful interaction with Ald. Jason Ervin (28^th), pushing to bring a caller affordable market store successful Aldi’s place.

MORE NEWS: 7 Killed, 34 Wounded In Weekend Shootings Across Chicago

The Garfield Park Rite To Wellness Collaborative has a bid of nutrient giveaways planned implicit the adjacent respective weeks astatine the erstwhile Aldi store. They are readying nutrient giveaways connected 4 further Saturdays: Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18. A peculiar giveaway up of Thanksgiving already was planned for Friday, Nov. 19, astatine New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, which volition instrumentality attraction of nutrient for families for 2 week, since determination won’t beryllium 1 connected the Saturday aft Thanksgiving Day.