By Timothy Inklebarger

Staff Reporter

About a year ago, Veronica Ciobotaro, co-owner of Delia's Kitchen in Oak Park, had a problem with homeless people.

The restaurant at 1034 W. Lake Street has an outdoor sidewalk seating area, and Ciobotaro said it was a daily occurrence to find people panhandling customers, sometimes entering the business and going from table to table in search of a meal.

Rather than shoo them away or call the police, Ciobotaro got creative and relied on compassion to help solve the problem, establishing a program that allows patrons to donate money toward meals for the homeless.

Patrons can purchase tokens for $2.95, Ciobotaro said, and then any homeless person can come in and use them. One token will get you a cup of coffee or a pastry or soup, and two tokens will get you breakfast or lunch, she said.

"I thought, 'There are so many (homeless people) here, let's do a program for them,'" she said.

Ciobotaro said the tokens are offered typically on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, when the restaurant is less busy, but she added, those looking for a meal come in all day.

She said she first got the idea for the program from an Italian coffee shop that allows patrons to "pay it forward" by purchasing cups of coffee for the homeless.

Ciobotaro said that now when people come up to her customers she tells them about the program and makes patrons aware that they can donate money toward their meal.

She said the meals are made and served at cost, so she's not making a profit.

Word has gotten out about the token program, and West Suburban PADS, which provides housing and other services to the homeless, has taken note. Ciobotaro said folks using their temporary housing facilities frequently come over for a meal in the morning.

Lynda Schuler, PADS executive director, said that now when she encounters homeless people on the street in Oak Park, she refers them to Delia's.

"They're so generous and good-hearted over there," Schuler said. "Nobody convinced (Ciobotaro) to do this."

Schuler said that to her knowledge the program is a one-of-a-kind in Oak Park.

"Her business has become a conduit for people who want to give and people who are in need of a meal," Schuler said.

Schuler said the PADS shelter served 464 people from September 2013 to May 2014.

Contact:

Email: tim@oakpark.com