IBEW members light the way for food pantry volunteers

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

The Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry gets a mini-facelift for interior lighting, heating and more, courtesy of a local grant and the dedication of organized labor. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Email Jennifer Rice at: jen@foxvalley
labornews.com

AURORA — The dedicated volunteers at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry had been working in the pantry’s warehouse with limited lighting, while office personnel worked on the second level in offices with no heat.

But with a grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley along with pro bono work from organized labor, volunteers can now navigate the warehouse in ample light and employees don’t have to wear coats at their desks.

“We’re just so grateful to the Foundation and to the union members,” said Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry Executive Director Marilyn Weisner.

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

IBEW Local 461 Assistant Business Manager/Organizer Shaun Thomas and 4th year apprentice Bryan Cotes install conduit in the bar joist of the warehouse. This will prevent the conduit from getting damaged by the mast of forklifts when they pull product down. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

IBEW 461 member Burt Jones assembles a ceiling fan. Ten fans were installed to allow for better air flow in the warehouse. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

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In the warehouse, IBEW Local 461 installed ceiling fans, replaced damaged conduit and moved lighting into the aisles. For the upstairs offices, baseboard heaters were installed.

The circuitry needed for the baseboard heaters wasn’t in the offices, so it was pipped in from the back of the warehouse to circuits near the offices. Even with a heat diffuser on the second floor, it’s primary purpose is to heat up the area near the front entrance, keeping the windows from fogging up. What it didn’t do was bring heat to the back offices.

The work was done during the week the pantry was closed between Christmas and New Year.

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry

Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry volunteers work in an aisle of the warehouse with plenty of light. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

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Along with donating labor, affiliates from the Fox Valley Building Trades donated various needed materials and money. SMART Local 265 donated a scissor lift. With the various donations, the pantry was able to use funds earmarked to pay for labor and apply it to other portions of the grant that weren’t necessarily funded.

IBEW Local 461 Assistant Business Manager/Organizer Shaun Thomas said organized labor was more than willing to help the pantry. “In general, unions frequently donate materials and volunteer their time in the community.”

Every year, members from the building trades volunteer to distribute food from the pantry’s mobile food pantry to seniors at local retirement homes.

Labor scholarship sends student to the Golden State

Jimmy Tunney

Jimmy Tunney was awarded a $2,500 scholarship made possible by the Woodruff Johnson & Palermo Labor Scholarship. He is attending Marymount California University to study accounting and law. Tunney is pictured with his mother Chris, far right, her partner, Kristen Ziman, and attorneys, from left, Dexter Evans, Mario Palermo and Jay Johnson. Jennifer Rice/staff photographer

Jennifer Rice Managing Editor

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015
Email Jennifer Rice at: jen@foxvalley
labornews.com

AURORA — California, baseball, accounting and law don’t sound like they mix well together, but college freshman Jimmy Tunney is going to make it work.

Tunney is starting out his college career 2,000 miles away in the Golden State (the California part) at Marymount California University, where the southpaw (the baseball part) will be playing for the Mariners. His lifelong passion for baseball and math (the accounting part) is driving him towards a career of writing sports contracts (the law part) for his future clients.

In an essay submitted to the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley for scholarship opportunities, Tunney said he always, “had a plan for life and I knew that baseball and law school would be a part of it.”

With his essay, he was awarded a $2,500 scholarship made possible by the Woodruff Johnson & Palermo Labor Scholarship. (Woodruff Johnson & Palermo was not involved in the selection process for scholarship recipients.) The injury law firm created the scholarship in 2012 to give back to organized labor and to the Fox Valley community — which has helped make the firm the largest injury law firm in the greater Fox Valley area.

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Because the scholarship is a labor-minded scholarship, in order to be considered, one of the criteria was Tunney had to have a parent who is a union member. Tunney’s mother Chris is member of the Aurora Association of Professional Police Officers. As an Aurora Police Department (APD) investigator, she is part of a task force, which investigates allegations of child sexual abuse.

“Unfortunately, we are always busy. Each one of us juggles 30 to 40 case loads at a time,” she explained. With a Masters in child psychology abuse and neglect and juvenile delinquency, Chris said she loves the “naughty kids.”

“I love the kids that get in trouble, because that was me when I was younger. I seem to understand them better,” she added.

After his graduation from West Aurora High School, Jimmy, 18, was accepted to several colleges, but the warm weather of California beckoned him. Due to its prestigious accounting school, a strong runner up was the University of Illinois. Chris’ partner APD Cmmd. Kristen Ziman explained Jimmy was torn between the decision to play baseball (which wasn’t an option at U of I), and that was where his passion lies.

“Jim was never a child we worried about. We know he’d made the right decision,” Ziman said.