HP071819

12 | July 18, 2019 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
Curt’s Café fundraises for new
HP location opening this year
Eli Fraerman, Editorial Intern
Curt’s Café, an Evanston
based café and training
program that focuses
on helping at-risk or formerly
incarcerated youngadults,
is opening up a new
location in Highland Park
later this summer, and held
a fundraiser earlier this
month at The Art Center.
In terms of their menu,
Curt’s Café seems like
a normal coffee shop.
They have coffee, breakfast
items, sandwiches as
well as soups and salads.
However, their mission is
unique. Curt’s Café employs
at risk or troubled
15-24 year olds that are
determined to build a better
life for themselves.
Through 3-month pro-
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THURSDAY
JULY 25
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grams, Curt’s Café employees
are taught marketable
skills for future
employment. Some of it
occurs at the café, some
in a classroom setting, and
upon completion they are
assisted with job placement
and transitioning to
full-time employment.
Curt’s Café decided to
expand and will open up
a 2nd location in Highland
Park, increasing their
range of assistance. Joan
Marks is the marketing
communications director
for the event and has
worked with Curt’s Café
on several of their events.
She is excited for the event
and eventual opening.
“I think what’s going to
be really great is the food
is really good, it’s reasonably
priced, what’s going
to fun about this location
and what they have
in Evanston is that they
have a community space,
so it means that people
can bring their book clubs
there to meet,” Marks said.
“After the space opens
we’re talking about having
book clubs, film discussions,
poetry slams,
using the space to bring
community together, different
kinds of discussion
groups, guests, everything
from local government
members to local authors.”
Not just a normal café,
Curt’s Café has the ability
to help struggling individuals
in the area as well as
unite the community.
Full story at HPLandmark.com.
SATURDAY
27
HP mail carriers deliver
more than 1K bags of food
Submitted Content
Highland Park letter carriers
delivered more than
1,000 bags of food to over
70 volunteers at Moraine
Township’s food pantry,
May 11.
“This was a tremendous
effort on the part of our
Highland Park letter carriers,
organized by Joe Cholewa.
Their effort was far
above and beyond the call
of duty and deeply appreciated,”
Township Trustee
Amy Zisook said.
This was the 27th annual
National Association
of Letter Carriers’ Food
Drive, held the second
Saturday of May each
year. The drive is particularly
timely in May
to help stock the food
pantry’s shelves for summer
when there are fewer
community food drives
yet residents continue to
visit the pantry.
“The township relies on
a corps of volunteers who
make it possible for the
food pantry to serve our
residents in need,” said
Moraine Township Supervisor
Anne Flanigan Bassi.
“Volunteers and Letter
Carriers unloaded and
Letter carrier Leashia Best (right) and food pantry volunteer
Steve Lanchak deliver bags of food to incomequalified
residents. Submitted photo
sorted bags of food.”
Moraine Township’s
Food Pantry serves income-qualified
residents
who are invited to visit the
food pantry twice a month
to receive shelf-stable
food items, plus produce,
dairy and frozen meat.
The food pantry is located
at 800 Central Ave. in
Highland Park, and open
Tuesday and Thursday
from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m.
and Wednesdays from 1 to
3:30 p.m. (plus other times
by appointment to accommodate
residents’ work
schedules) and recorded
over 7,000 resident-visits
to our pantry in the last
year.
“We are fortunate to
live in a community of
workers and residents who
care about residents going
through difficult times,
and this drive demonstrates
the care and compassion
of our residents
who both contributed food
and pitched in to volunteer,”
said Trustee Cindy
Wolfson.
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Downtown Highland Park
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THE LAKE FOREST LEADER
Village surprised by $61M
overhaul of Lake Bluff
interchange
For years, commuters
traveling through the interchange
at Illinois Route
176 and U.S. Route 41
in Lake Bluff have faced
considerable daily traffic
congestion and safety hazards.
But a long-planned upgrade
to the interchange is
now closer to completion,
now that $61 million has
been secured for the project.
The funding comes
from the recently signed
Rebuild Illinois capital
construction plan, which
includes nearly $45 billion
for state repairs to roads,
bridges and transit over the
span of six years.
State Senator Julie Morrison,
D-Deerfield, made
the announcement over the
Fourth of July weekend,
which came as a surprise
to the Lake Bluff Village
Board, according to President
Kathleen O’Hara.
“We heard this week,
much to our surprise to
be totally honest, that $61
million is going to be allocated
for the 41-176 ex-
Please see nfyn, 15