LIFE Center is part of the PLAN in Round Lake Beach
By Judy Masterson jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com October 25, 2011 9:54PM
PLAN Director Michael Pimpo (center) is shown with volunteers Lynn Swanson (far left) of Vernon Hills, John Kassner of Round Lake Heights and Pamela Wells of Round Lake Park in the food pantry at PLAN in Round Lake Beach. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
FYI
For more information about the LIFE Center or PLAN, visit: www.alifeplan.org.
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Updated: December 25, 2011 1:29AM
It’s a modern twist on the gospel story of the loaves and the fishes.
Pastor Michael Pimpo was minding his own business in 2006, shepherding his upstart, nondenominational church, Life of Faith in Round Lake Beach, when he suddenly found himself in possession of 12 pallets of nonperishables – manna from an area food drive.
But feeding the hungry takes logistics. It takes money. It takes a sustained commitment, “building a budget to keep it going,” according to Pimpo.
“Once I said yes to the Lord — ‘Yes, I’ll do this,’ doors started to open,” Pimpo said. “Things just started to connect. It was a divine orchestration.”
PLAN — People Lending Assistance Network — opened in 2006. The more loaves of bread, jars of peanut butter and cans of tuna walked out the door, the more donations were hauled back in.
New and used clothing arrived, hygiene products, detergent, furniture and other household items. Cash showed up, so did volunteers — from churches, schools and civic groups.
In 2009, Pimpo moved the pantry, which serves an estimated 2,000 households per month, to a small commercial strip in the 1800 block of Nicole Lane, north of Rollins Road. Last August, he expanded the ministry, opening the LIFE Center, which offers life skills education to many of the people who rely on PLAN.
“We wanted to do more than give a box of food,” said Pimpo, 43, a native of Libertyville. “We wanted to help people hang on to their dignity, find a job, get them through rough times.”
About 50 members of Life of Faith also worship at the no-frills LIFE Center, which is separated from PLAN by a hand-car wash and detailing business.
LIFE Center currently offers Success By Six, a United Way-funded preschool program, and health and nutrition classes. BMO Harris Bank will soon teach personal finance. On Monday, a small group of students studied to become certified tax preparers.
Grace Artrip of Round Lake Park first visited PLAN after losing her job in retail. She’s now enrolled in the tax preparer course. The LIFE Center, she said, has helped to raise her self-esteem
“I’d rather be making money than sitting at home,” Artrip said. “I can’t go back into retail because my knees are shot. I want to make a better life for myself and my family.”
Pimpo, a father of five, likes to tell the story of the teen-age boy who came to PLAN with his toes poking out of his shoes.
“I asked him if that was the style and he said ‘No. My feet have grown and my parents can’t afford new shoes.’”
“A couple days before, a new pair of athletic shoes had come in,” Pimpo said. “They were exactly his size. Things like that happen all the time here. Our shelves will go low. I pray. Somebody knocks on the door with a donation.
“We’ve seen the loaves and fishes many, many times,” Pimpo said.
PLAN and LIFE are entirely run by volunteers. Pimpo has a gift for enlisting help from community-minded people like Lynn Swanson, a former Waukegan school teacher who grew up in Round Lake Beach and his wife, Jeanne. The couple lives in Vernon Hills.
“Nobody gets paid,” said Lynn Swanson, who likes the seat-of-the-pants energy of PLAN.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” he said. “Bananas or a big box of green tomatoes from somebody’s garden.”
“This can only happen through the goodness of people — their support, their donations,” Pimpo said. “We have no agenda. We’re helping people locally. We’re doing what the church is supposed to be doing — showing love for our neighbors, helping people in need.”
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