People's Resource Center - Westmont, Illinois

Michele K.

A mix of compassion, care, deluded effort, and naivete.

Positives: The food pantry is great to minimize food waste and ensure no one misses a meal. It's great to try new food items that you may have never seen or been able to purchase before, and specialty items from local small businesses that you never heard of. You can also select a few personal care items, and I have received premium products, which were fun to try. Most of the volunteers are compassionate, kind, and pleasant to be around.

Negatives: The food pantry is very micro-managing with a number systems for selecting food items. If you have special dietary needs, you will be restricted in options, as you do not have the autonomy to select the items that you need or your preferences beyond 1 or 2 of each item group. "Be kind, take 1 or 2" is their approach. You will leave with a cart full of food, half of it being dry packaged or canned foods, along with frozen goods, expired and 2-week old prepared foods or cut fruit and bread/bakery items that may or may not have black mold and all-colors-of-the-rainbow microbes growing on it. The fresh produce that you receive ranges from a bag full to nothing depending on the day, which does not always meet the clients' nutritional needs. You will also experience the "control of flow of people" with the parking people asking you to center the car in the spot if it is not perfect or telling you which spot to park in and asking you to wait outside because they are not ready yet inside. What is the purpose of a waiting room with 20+ chairs? Since when has parking for a professional service been so micro-managed?

I learned that some of the people that I thought were volunteers were actually getting paid, yet had no knowledge about why they were passing out surveys and collecting personal data, etc. Perhaps this person can fill the janitor opening posted on the PRC job board, and a qualified, knowledgeable client can receive an income for the PRC paid position. Most of the interactions are quite superficial; when you see the same people every week and try to build relationships, they will talk about the weather and be "polite," while reinforcing their boundaries, rushing you through while you are trying to select your personal care and food items for the week, forcefully promoting their workshops when you have not inquired or requested those services, etc. They want your feedback, but cancel the in-person feedback discussions and use online surveys instead. The most shocking instance for me was when I told one of the check-in volunteers that I was able to share some of the snack foods with my disabled sister who lives in a nursing home, and the woman told me that I shouldn't take all of the items if I don't need them. PRC has food items spilling into the hallways at times, yet I shouldn't share my small portion of snack items with a disabled person. Offensive and ignorant.

Their online surveys are asking what would the best food pantry look like: a cart full of fresh produce and food items for each client, autonomy to select food items, parking and waiting in the waiting room like you would for any other professional service without being micromanaged, in-person discussions with clients for feedback, education on food safety, emphasis on nutrition.

Terra M.

Very friendly and helpful staff. A really good place to go if you need a little help getting by. I'm very thankful to all that they do

Princess D.

Needed to go to the this location as the Wheaton location is temporary not accepting closes, easy process.

Sejal R.

Angels sent from heaven. Thank you for helping during hard times.

Paul T.

Great place! We’re gonna keep doing the staff is wonderful and the people are great

Debra B.

They are the worst now They are acting like we don't exist 😒 they are taking care of the emigrate peoples they can from Chicago the peoples who was getting drop off in Chicago some of then are in naperville I guess naperville told them they can't help them well that is what the peoples was saying so they come to Westmont to get help now Westmont are all for them not use anymore well we no where we stand. now now we are the out sider so I want be going their for help the lady gives me a gas ⛽️ card for a gas station 7 miles from where I live I will be out of gas ⛽️ I by the time ⏲️ I get their but gave thr peoples who can from Chicago off that bus 🚌 everything that is sad 😔 that we have to be done wrong for peoples who don't live here and should be here 😢 help us we live here or have you forget

Chelsea M.

very helpful establishment. I’m so happy and blessed they are located nearby where i live. They have an Awesome food pantry. They even offer free educational classes which i find very heart warming. The volunteers are great.

Shirley D.

Loose potatoes and you only can have one,one small can tuna,as you walk in they allow you to get one item when we just to get two items, one from the top and one from the bottom, it's nothing like it use to be.