Willow Creek Community Church to Celebrate Grand Reopening of Care Center on June 13, Providing In-Person Services to Neighbors in Need
Willow Creek Community Church to Celebrate Grand Reopening of Care Center on June 13, Providing In-Person Services to Neighbors in Need
South Barrington Care Center to Resume In-Person Operations, Invites Public to Open House and Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities with a Festival Atmosphere.
SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill., May 26, 2021—Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington will celebrate the grand reopening of its Care Center (67 Algonquin Rd., Building G) on Sunday, June 13, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Care Center helps meet immediate needs that build toward a sustainable future for individuals and families in the Chicagoland area, with services ranging from food and clothing to employment and transportation. It adopted a virtual model in March 2020, and is re- opening its doors to provide in-person services, while continuing its online offerings.
The Care Center reopening celebration is open to the public and will feature family-friendly activities with a festival atmosphere in Parking Lot F including music, food, inflatables, a petting zoo, a Cool Cars exhibit and more. In addition, the Care Center will host an open house with a self-guided tour of its 60,000 square foot facility for those interested in volunteer partnership opportunities. Food and clothing donations will also be accepted to help restock the store, and donations may be left behind visitors’ cars in any of the church parking lots that day.
“During this past season of being distanced from one another, the Care Center adapted to a mobile model in order to continue getting food and other services to people in need, and we’re grateful we have been able to serve them in this way,” said Care Center Pastor Kyle Healy. “But we miss sitting face-to-face with community members, and we’re thrilled to open our doors fully to in-person services while keeping a lot of what we were offering online. Our volunteers and guests have supported us immensely as we’ve re-shaped and improved to better serve the community, and we couldn’t be happier about that.”
Despite the closure of the facility over the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Care Center continued to work in the community to provide tangible support in a variety of ways, including:
• Operating a Mobile Care Center that served the basic needs of more than 12,000 families
• Distributing 3 million pounds of food to 30,000 drive-up guests
• Partnering with school district 54 to provide a safe learning space for 45 children of front-line
workers
• Holding seven Covid-safe blood drives.
Established in 2013, the Care Center is dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice in dignifying ways that bring hope and lead to the transformation of lives. Services provided by the Care Center include a food store, a clothing store, Kids Zone, employment counseling, a dental and eye clinic, legal consultation, Prison and Jail Connection, an anti-human trafficking ministry, and a C.A.R.S. ministry.
The Care Center is available to its neighbors in need across the Chicago area and is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. For more information, call 224.512.2600 or visit their website at www.willowcreekcarecenter.org
Willow Creek Community Church is a non-denominational Christian church with seven campuses throughout Chicagoland.
MEDIA NOTE: The Care Center reopening celebration at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington is open to media. For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Laura McGowan at laura@lauramcgowan.com or at (847) 347-5206.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laura McGowan, (847) 347-5206 laura@lauramcgowan.com