With many Americans scrambling to make ends meet, one Chicago-area pastor decided to bless community members with a precious commodity: 40,000 free eggs.
The Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Bridgeport and Salem Baptist Church in Pullman, said low-income families in those neighborhoods are struggling to afford groceries. So on Saturday (March 15), volunteers will distribute free eggs at five locations throughout the South Side of Chicago.
The 40,000 eggs, purchased from a wholesale distributor, are arriving on Friday (March 13) in a refrigerated truck. About 300 volunteers will then work to unload, package, and reload the precious product.
Every person who attends Saturday’s event will receive one carton of eggs. Dates said he hopes to be able to assist about 3,000 families.
Families Feel Fried by High Egg Prices
“Our churches are giving away 40,000 eggs this weekend, because Black families are struggling at the grocery store,” said Pastor Dates. “Historically, the Black church in America has cared for the Black flourishing of the family. We also know that eggs are the primary source of [nutrition] for low-income families.”
High food prices have kept some of his church members walking on eggshells lately, according to Dates. “A number of our congregants have been holding on to eggs past the expiration date, and some are choosing just not to eat them at all,” he said. Meanwhile, eggs are “a staple in a family’s diet, for protein, for bread, for a number of things.”
The pastor indicated that it is time to get cracking with solutions to costly groceries. “The President promised prices would drop on day one [of his administration], but instead they’ve only soared,” Dates said. “We have a unique opportunity to do what the church has always done, and that is to care for marginalized people groups.”
The pastor, who previously criticized evangelical Christians who view President Trump as divinely appointed, said, “We’re not waiting on him or anyone else to fix this. We can still care for our people in compassionate ways.”
