In January 2019 Pilot Light was a recipient of the Chicago Housing Consulting Services grant and over the past two weeks the grant was put into action as Pilot Light and Claremont Academy extended its Love Lunches and More Advocacy Project.
The $5000 grant extended the student-envisioned Love Lunches Advocacy Project to support homeless families in the West Englewood area. 100 3rd and 4th-grade students, along with Pilot Light teachers, Ms. Gaud, Ms. Fortenberry, Ms. Shaw, and Ms. Nunn, worked in groups to assemble 500 Love Lunches. Each lunch bag included a turkey sandwich, water, chips, cookies, carrots, hand sanitizer, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste. To make each package special, a group of students designed and decorated each bag and dropped in a handwritten encouraging note.
The students packed the lunches and delivered them to neighborhood churches and food pantries, including Bread of Life, where the lunches were distributed during a planned event to the community.
Special thanks to The Chicago Housing Consulting Services for funding Claremont Academy’s Love Lunches and More Advocacy Project this school year. The Chicago Housing Consulting Services launched this funding initiative to support nonprofits who focus on child and youth development, education and community beautification.