by Silvana Tabares

For the Álvarez family, this Thanksgiving Day will be a much brighter one. The current economic situation has affected them – like so many families in the city – and they were unable to afford a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.

But thanks to an effort by Jewel-Osco to raise awareness about the growing need for hunger relief among Latinos, thousands of turkey meals will be donated throughout the holiday season to eight nonprofit organizations including Association House, Christopher House, El Hogar del Niño, El Valor, Erie Neighborhood House, Instituto del Progresso Latino, Mujeres Latinas en Accion and Casa Central. The initiative will feed about 5,500 people on Thanksgiving Day.

The Álvarez family is one out of 200 families from Casa Central that received a turkey dinner meal on Nov. 19. Armen Álvarez, a mother of four children, said she could relate to other mothers who are struggling in the current economic situation.

As a volunteer of the afternoon school programs at Casa Central, she noticed more families were under economic pressure.

“Many families are losing their jobs and cannot bring food to the table,” Álvarez said.

Álvarez arrived two years ago from Puerto Rico when the company she worked for relocated her to Chicago. She came here with a vision and to make a difference and saw the move as a good opportunity, but noticed the economic situation getting worse. She never visualized Chicago to be an expensive city to live in.
“It is a city with opportunity, but with a lot of expenses,” Álvarez said. “It is really expensive for any family. [This] financial situation is everywhere.”

She added that the cost of living is especially high in the Humboldt Park community and not all families in Casa Central can afford to buy a turkey. Even though she works as a community development specialist for the National PTA, she would like to teach families how to survive in the struggling economy.

Finish reading A joyous Thanksgiving celebration for a Latino family