This past Saturday, Salem Baptist Church and Progressive Baptist Church on the South Side of Chicago made a huge impact by giving away free eggs. As food prices continue to rise, this effort was a much-needed relief for many.
The initiative was led by Reverend Dr. Charlie Dates, who serves as the Senior Pastor of both Salem Baptist Church and Progressive Baptist Church. Seeing firsthand how grocery costs were forcing people to make tough choices, he knew the church could step in to help. More than 200 volunteers answered the call, showing up to sort, stack, and distribute eggs across five locations along the Dan Ryan corridor.
- 35th & King Drive
- 47th & King Drive
- 55th & the Dan Ryan
- 87th & the Dan Ryan
- 100th & Michigan Avenue
“We’ll take them off refrigerated trucks and put them in the hands of the families that need them,” Pastor Dates said on Saturday in an interview with CBS Chicago.
Yesterday at noon, volunteers from Progressive Baptist Church gathered outside the recently closed Walgreens to distribute free cartons of eggs. Inside each carton was a message that read:
“The price of eggs are HIGH, so these eggs are FREE. BUT Jesus paid a much higher price; to give you the gift of HOPE.”
Along with the message, each carton included an invitation to the church’s Easter Sunday services at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at 3658 South Wentworth Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Inside Salem Baptist Church, volunteers worked together to pack thousands of cartons, making sure as many families as possible could take home a dozen or two. Winnie, one of the volunteers, shared with CBS Chicago what she’s been seeing at the grocery store lately:
“People are going to the market now and they are just staring at the eggs before picking them up.”
It’s a simple but powerful reminder of how inflation is affecting everyday people.
But for at least one weekend, families didn’t have to worry about that. Thanks to the generosity of Pastor Dates, his congregations, and volunteers, thousands of people left with a little more food on their tables.
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