CITGO stocks the shelves at local food pantries

CITGO Lemont Refinery employees and contractors recently collected eight truckloads of non-perishable food items for six local area food pantries just in time for Thanksgiving.

The fall food drive has been an annual event at the refinery for more than 20 years. This year, volunteers distributed the items to the Bethany Food Pantry, Daybreak Shelter, DuPage Township Pantry, Fairmont Food Pantry, Lockport FISH Pantry and Romeoville Community Pantry.

According to Maureen Sobczak, a team leader at the Lockport Fish Pantry, the donated items from CITGO came at the right time because the pantry shelves were getting low.

“We serve an average of 50 client families a week, which means food goes fast. At this time of year, with school in session and the holidays approaching, the items from the CITGO food drive stocked our shelves with desperately needed items like pasta, veggies and sauces,” said Sobczak.

Similarly, the Bethany Food Pantry reached out to the refinery at the beginning of October because their shelves were nearly bare. The refinery was not only able to meet the initial request, but also delivered a load of additional food items at the close of the drive.

“We are a part of the community so it's important for us to assist local families by supporting area food pantries. The outpouring of generosity from our employees and contractors this year was truly amazing," said Dennis Willig, CITGO Lemont Vice President and General Manager.