Hyde Park congregations and food pantries are gearing up for the winter, bulking up on supplies and preparing for a holiday season devoted to community and intentional rest and reflection. 

At Congregation Rodfei Zedek, 5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd., one of Hyde Park’s two synagogues, staff are busy preparing for a joint Hannakuh celebration and Shabbat dinner next week. Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights, begins on Dec. 7 and runs through Dec. 15. 

“Hanukkah is not only the one Jewish holiday we celebrate during winter, but it is a holiday of and dealing with winter,” said Rodfei Zedek Rabbi David Minkus. “Hanukkah was and is about bringing light into the world when it is, literally, most needed.” 

Beyond brightening up the winter, Minkus added, “the holiday innately recognizes that we will always be in need of more light, always need to add warmth and meaning to our lives and those around us.” 

In the spirit of adding warmth to the community, Congregation Rodfei will hold a Hanukkah service and potluck service on Dec. 8 to kick off the Sabbath, a period of 25 hours of rest from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. Community members are invited to bring menorahs and Shabbat candles to light at the event. 

“Especially in the winter, just being in community and being together in this period of very intentional restfulness is especially grounding and sustaining,” added Hannah Kaiser, the director of visiting and engagement at Congregation Rodfei Zedek. 

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Hyde Park’s more than a dozen churches are preparing for Advent, a period which marks the beginning of the church’s liturgical year and preparation for the celebration of Christmas.

At St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 5472 S. Kimbark Ave., pastoral associate Timothy Johnston described this time as “a period of watchfulness and waiting and hope.” 

“(It’s) our yearly reminder that we hope for all things to be made new” Johnston said. The significance of (Christmas) changes how we live and hopefully guides the way we live.”  

On Dec. 13, St. Thomas will hold an Advent prayer followed by an open house. 

At Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave., which is already several weeks into an extended Advent season, church staff are opening up the sanctuary in more ways than one. 

“For a lot of people, getting that close to Christmas, it’s a very bleak time of year,” said Nancy Goethe, a pastor at Augustana. 

For the winter solstice, which falls on Dec. 21 this year, the sanctuary will open to the public for much of the afternoon – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – for quiet meditation. 

For the past six weeks, Augustana has also been sheltering a Venezuelan family that had been living at one of the local police stations. 

“People from the congregation have stopped by and picked up their laundry and brought it back to them, and offered to let them come to their house if they needed to,” said Goethe. “(It’s) something that was unexpected, but it’s been wonderful – they just are delightful people.”

Congregation Rodfei Zedek is also opening the building on some Saturday afternoons to give local asylum seekers an opportunity to spend time somewhere “warm and safe,” said Kaiser. Volunteers at the synagogue are also letting people cook in its kitchen and opening up its gymnasium for kids to run around in. 

“That’s a way that we’re trying to use our resources to support the community,” said Kaiser. 

Food pantries adapt to growing need

As local congregations prepare for a season of reflection, area food pantries are prepping for a period of increased need. According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, one in five households in Chicago is facing food insecurity heading into winter.

According to Margaret Mitchell, co-director of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Food Pantry, since 2020, the number of people the pantry serves has more than doubled. Today, it distributes more than 18,000 pounds of food to more than 350 families each month. Patrons include “new neighbors, returning neighbors and our regular client base,” said Mitchell.

“But we’ve grown with it,” said Mitchell, noting that the pantry has not closed once during this time. 

“(It’s) not simply a matter of refugees’ new numbers … there are stresses on the system in general. Food insecurity is not new on the mid-South Side.”

To donate food or winter clothing, or to volunteer with the pantry, visit hpuc.org/hunger-programs.html. The pantry is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave.