Just two days before she died, Robin Kassis was checking local retailer sites for back-to-school supplies and texting with colleague Lindsay Napleton about food pantry logistics.
“She was so sick, but she was still dedicated to helping others,” Napleton said.
Kassis, who elevated the Orland Township Food and Pet Pantry from a few shelves to a 2,200-foot-operation, succumbed to breast cancer Aug. 18.
The 60-year-old Tinley Park resident leaves behind her mother, Sonja Hansen, and four children: Alexandra, Leah and Jonathan Kassis and Taylor Oswald.
“She was an amazing woman,” Napleton said.
When Kassis began at the pantry, she said, “it was a little closet. Now it’s a mini-grocery store with two walk-in freezers, a walk-in cooler, three standing freezers, three standing refrigerators, tons of shelving and the pet pantry has its own shelving unit.”
Kassis went “above and beyond” wherever there was a need, volunteering at special events, picking up food donations at local retailers after hours and putting in extra time on the weekends, Napleton said.
Through grants, fundraisers and partnerships with local stores and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Kassis was able to give the township’s low-income residents an elevated, more dignified pantry experience.
Leah Kassis said her mother made sure clients could get the specialty items they needed to meet religious and dietary needs as well as personal preferences.
“She let family members pick the food that worked for them,” Leah said. “She knew that was important.”
Alexandra Kassis said a recent grant enabled the pantry to secure grocery carts so client visits could resemble supermarket shopping. “My mom never wanted anyone to feel shameful because they were in need.”
Taylor Oswald said her mother empathized deeply with people’s struggles because, as a single mother of four, she had been in their shoes. “She went through some really tough times and was so happy to be able to give back.”
Growing up, Leah Kassis recalled how her mom often worked two jobs and still needed to supplement the family’s food needs through the Together We Cope pantry.
Despite her own struggles, Alexandra Kassis said, “our mom always made sure we never went without. She sacrificed so much of her life for us, her kids.”
That love was easily extended to her community.
Leah Kassis said her mother insisted that her children attend township events because helping others benefits both the person in need and the person helping to meet that need.
Her insistence that clients be treated with kindness and respect made Robin Kassis a pillar of the community, Leah Kassis said. “Many of her clients came to her (funeral) service.”
“She always did everything with a full heart,” Jonathan Kassis said. “She was an inspiration to everyone.”
Sonja Hansen recalled how her spirited, selfless, only child would go to great lengths to reach a goal. “When she set her mind to something, she’d make it happen,” Hansen said.
Now that determination courses through the veins of Hansen’s grandchildren, who vow to carry on their mother’s legacy of kindness and compassion, and encourage others to do the same.
Taylor Oswald said her mother coupled her love for community with the skills she’d acquired at past retail and restaurant jobs to transform the pantry into a welcoming haven, something that other pantries should use as a model.
“We want the (Orland Township) pantry to be an example of what should be the norm,” Oswald said.
Alexandra Kassis agreed. “We want it to set the bar for all other food pantries so everybody can get the same kind of help and the same kind of experience.”
In a Facebook post, Orland Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady wrote: “Thank you, Robin. Your dedication and hard work have truly made a positive impact on Orland Township. Your contributions have improved the lives of so many in our community, and your legacy will always be remembered.
“We will never forget all the good you did for us.”
How to help
Donate to a food pantry, such as the Orland Township Food Pantry (orlandtownship.org/food-pantry). Among the items always in need are peanut butter, pasta, coffee and cereal.
Find other Chicago area pantries by going to Greater Chicago Food Depository’s website, www.chicagosfoodbank.org/find-food/#googtrans(en|en).
To support pets in need, adopt, foster, volunteer or donate funds or supplies to local pet food pantries. Partnerships with Amazon make it easy for supporters to simply send needed supplies.
Many local animal shelters are in need of assistance, including:
- Anderson Humane (ahconnects.org) in South Elgin.
- Will County Animal Protection Services (willcounty.gov/county-offices/public-health-and-safety/animal-protection-services).
- Naperville Area Humane Society (www.naperhumane.org).
Other shelters with pantries include South Suburban Humane Society (southsuburbanhumane.org/food-pantry) in Chicago Heights; Hinsdale Humane Society (www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org/programs/community-resources/pet-food-support-resources); DuPage Senior Citizens Council (www.dupageseniorcouncil.org/pet-food-assistance).
A verse on Robin Kassis’ tribute page reads: “When we lose someone we love we must learn not to live without them, but to live with the love they left behind.”
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at donnavickroy4@gmail.com.
