A line of more than a dozen people waited outside the newly opened UMMA Harvest Market Monday 45 minutes before the doors were scheduled to open for patrons waiting to peruse the food selections, pick their groceries and take them home free of charge.
Operated by the Urban Muslim Minority Alliance, UMMA Executive Director Hamaas Ibrahim said patrons can select 15 grocery items every two weeks. It is UMMA’s transformed food pantry. Patrons shop rather than take home a prepackaged bag.
“This is a 100% free grocery store with no questions asked,” he said. “This is a nontraditional food pantry, and a nontraditional grocery store. We’re getting rid of the stigma of a food pantry.”
Ibrahim, along with a group of market employees and local officials, cut a ribbon officially celebrating the market’s grand opening Monday on 10th Street in Waukegan, giving people in need a place to help feed their families.
Entering the market, he said patrons are asked to present an identification card, but no questions are asked about their income. They are limited to 15 items every two weeks. There are limitations on the quantity of some items which are listed in lieu of a price tag.
Along with shelves of staples like cereal, peanut butter and bread, there is a selection of fresh produce kept in a refrigerator with glass doors. Patrons can select a choice of items like lettuce, asparagus, tomatoes and more. There is a shelf stocked with bananas.
“This is enough to feed a family of four every two weeks,” Ibrahim said. “People have the freedom to take the food they want for their family.”
Ayman Kalada, the market manager, said since the market had a soft opening six weeks ago, it has averaged between 355 and 548 patrons a week, which amounts to approximately 26,500 meals.
Removing the stigma of a food pantry by creating a grocery store environment creates a new experience for shoppers. Both Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor and state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, said it adds dignity to the experience.
“People can come here and shop in a safe environment with the dignity they deserve,” Taylor said. “They can shop with the freedom of making their own choices rather than taking what you are given.”
Johnson said the market is one of the several things UMMA is doing to help people in the community. Located at the northwest corner of 10th Street and McAlister Avenue on the Waukegan side of 10th, the street is the boundary between the city and North Chicago.
“People can shop with dignity here,” Johnson said. “This is a welcoming and warm environment the UMMA Harvest Market has created for the community. It is a place where people have respect.”
When UMMA purchased the building late last year, Ibrahim said the goal was twofold. Besides the market, the two-story structure also has four large apartments — two with four bedrooms, one with three and a third with two. It provides affordable housing.
“We call this Project Uplift,” Ibrahim said. “We want to provide upscale affordable housing for larger families,” he added, indicating UMMA rents three houses. They are in Waukegan, North Chicago and Beach Park.
Lake County Board Vice-Chair Mary Ross Cunningham, D-Waukegan, said the market is part of a regeneration of the 10th Street Corridor separating Waukegan and North Chicago.
Cunningham sponsored legislation with the County Board giving UMMA $300,000 to help purchase the building. With a North Chicago Police Department substation a few blocks away on 10th Street, she said what was once a rough neighborhood is improving.
“This used to be a hotspot,” she said. “I said, ‘Let’s make it a cold spot.’ There are no longer people standing around the corner.”
“This is Waukegan and North Chicago working together,” added Taylor.
The market is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.
