The Hardest-Working Paper in America | 
Thursday, April 18, 2024
News Chicago Metro/State

$20 million modernization project will expand The Ark’s West Rogers Park location

The modernization of the Jewish social service agency’s North California Avenue location will include a much larger food pantry.

By  Jordan Perkins
   
SHARE $20 million modernization project will expand The Ark’s West Rogers Park location
A rendering of The Ark’s expansion.

A rendering of The Ark’s expansion. The official groundbreaking for the project is Friday at The Ark, 6450 N. California Ave. in West Rogers Park.

The Ark

A $20 million expansion at The Ark in West Rogers Park means the social service agency will be able to help about 1,000 more clients a year.

The modernization at the agency’s North California Avenue location also means they will better meet the needs of existing clients — especially critical now, as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers and inflation drives up living costs. said Marna Goldwin, CEO of The Ark.

“Over the past half century, The Ark has built an incredible legacy of caring for the Jewish community and of treating those in need with the utmost respect, compassion and dignity,” Goldwin said.

The West Rogers Park facility has been The Ark’s primary location for 30 years. The project will increase its size by 60%.

A rendering of the expanded food pantry at The Ark facility in West Ridge.

The Ark’s new food pantry in West Ridge will be four times its current capacity.

The Ark

The location has closed during construction, which is expected to be completed by the fall of 2023. Until then, clients can use The Ark location in Northbrook, 3100 Dundee Road.

Among the updates to the West Rogers Park facility are an expanded kosher food pantry, quadruple the size of the current one. There also will be dedicated space for the facility’s mental health programs. And the pharmacy will be moved to the first floor, making the overall building more accessible for clients.

An official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Friday.

Next Up In News
Measles case count reaches 63 in Chicago, but pace of new cases is subsiding
Showers and gusty winds moving through Chicago on Thursday
Cherry trees in Chicago skip bloom for second consecutive year
Howard Brown, union reach tentative agreement after 17 months of negotiations
Uber launches rider verification program in Chicago, 11 other cities
Rainbow PUSH leader’s quick exit underscores challenge following Rev. Jackson: ‘It’s the most difficult job in Black America’
The Latest
Chicago Cubs v Seattle Mariners
Cubs
Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr.'s family makes history, while he starts season strong in pivotal role
Leiter’s cousin Jack debuted for the Rangers on Thursday.
By Maddie Lee
 
Howard Brown Health workers and their supporters march during an unfair labor practice strike outside Howard Brown Health Sheridan in the Uptown neighborhood in January. Sixty-one workers were illegally laid off on December 30, 2022, according to Margo Gislain of the Illinois Nurses Association.
Health
Howard Brown, union reach tentative agreement after 17 months of negotiations
The contract would include raises across the union body — including annual wage increases — a new minimum wage of $19.23, insurance for part-time employees, two weeks of paid leave for gender-affirming care, a union rights clause and protections against layoffs, among other things.
By Violet Miller
 
Transportation
Uber launches rider verification program in Chicago, 11 other cities
Chicago riders may now find a blue check mark under their name, as part of Uber’s rider verification process.
By Jessica Ma
 
Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III sits with Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Rainbow PUSH Convention on July 18, 2023.
Politics
Rainbow PUSH leader’s quick exit underscores challenge following Rev. Jackson: ‘It’s the most difficult job in Black America’
It’s still not clear why the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, a Texas megachurch pastor, suddenly resigned Tuesday as president of the legendary South Side social justice organization. But longtime observers say an out-of-towner was doomed from the start.
By Mitchell Armentrout
 
Taylor Hall
Blackhawks
With ACL recovery on track, Blackhawks' Taylor Hall used lost season to 'refresh mentally'
Hall participated in Hawks morning skate Thursday — on the last day of the season — for the first time since his surgery in November. He expects to be fully healthy for training camp next season.
By Ben Pope