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Working together to address food Insecurity
in Lake County, IL

The idea is simple.

If people could add an extra bag of produce to their grocery cart each week, we can gather them at church to deliver to food pantries in the area, helping to provide healthy, fresh food for our neighbors in need.

  • Apples

  • Potatoes

  • Onions

  • Carrots

  • Bell Peppers

  • ​Jalapeños

  • Celery

  • Green Beans

  • Limes

  • Lemons

  • Oranges

  • Grapefruit

  • Fresh Herbs

  • Cilantro

  • Basil

  • Oregano

TIP: Make sure you pick items that will last 1-2 weeks and won't bruise or spoil quickly.

Colorful Fresh Produce

St. James is a gathering place.

Each month, we hold a Drive-Thru Drop Off event on the third Saturday, between 10:00 am & Noon. Just drive your car to the main entrance, and our team will unload your donation.

Upcoming
Saturdays in 2026

  • January 17

  • February 21

  • March  21

  • April 18

  • May 16

  • June 20

  • July 18

  • August 15

  • September 19

  • October 17

  • November 21

  • December 19

10:00 am to Noon

1380 N Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045

Make a financial contribution

and our team will do the shopping for you!

Where do donations go?

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We currently deliver to: COOL Food Pantry in Waukegan, NCCP's Family Care Closet in North Chicago. Midwest Veterans Closet in North Chicago, PADS in Waukegan, Sagrado Corazón in Waukegan.

How does your garden grow?

Food Pantries also accept garden-grown items! If you're a gardener, consider sharing your harvest!

Vegetable Garden Beds

Want to get more involved?

It takes a village to make this program successful! We're always looking for volunteers to help deliver, organize, make "veggie prep" kits and more! If you're interested, please let us know.

Start your own ProjectFRESH program!

We believe ProjectFRESH is a program that can work anywhere. We'd love to share what we've developed and what we've learned. Please contact projectfresh@stjameslutheran.org to learn more.

Media inquiries contact communications@stjameslutheran.org

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