I Am Your Neighbor: Voices from a Chicago Food Pantry

"I am Your Neighbor" is a story of community. It is a collection of stories from 21 people on Chicago's North Side who are clients of the Common Pantry, a non-profit organization that provides emergency groceries and other services to qualifying individuals and families. 100% of all proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Common Pantry to continue their mission of food distribution and expanded services during their Wednesday afternoon "Common Community".

VIDEO: “I am Your Neighbor” (Copy and Paste into your Browser) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_0qpiAWC4&feature=g-upl

The authors of "I am Your Neighbor" have captured the wonderfully moving stories of some of their neighbors and allow their own words to bring to life the root causes of hunger and economic distress in a way that statistics cannot. Our nation's food pantries and their teams of volunteers provide a great service and work hard each day. However, one of the first steps to alleviating the problem of food insecurity is recognizing that clients are not anonymous strangers, but our neighbors who deserve our compassion and understanding. "I am Your Neighbor" allows each of us to take that first step.

"I am Your Neighbor" was inspired by the lives of those people who come to the Common Pantry to be fed -- groceries, hot meals, friendship, direction and community. The book was also inspired by those neighbors who at times do not have a complete understanding of who these people are and what circumstances have combined to bring them to the doors of the Common Pantry. The people whose words fill the chapters of the book were thrilled to have the opportunity to tell their stories and we hope that all who read "I am Your Neighbor" will have a better understanding of what it means to be a neighbor in need and how they can help their neighbor.

David R. Brown has been a commercial real estate professional his entire 26 year career. “I am Your Neighbor” is his first book, and in no way is related to his profession. Rather, it is a reflection of his interest in community building through personal outreach.

Prior jobs at international real estate companies took him on grueling business trips to many places around the globe including London, Paris, Munich, Cannes, Frankfurt, Berlin, Prague, Zurich, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. David now enjoys a much more local focus running his own company doing property advisory, investment, development and finance. His true passion is his family and his community, spending time at sporting events, plays and dance recitals and in meetings with the school board, church, Common Pantry, community groups and other non-profit organizations. David is a native of Grove City, Ohio. Following his college years, David lived in New York City for ten years before returning to Chicago to settle down in 1995. He and his wife Shannon have two young daughters, Stella and Hazel. David is a graduate of Richard Avenue Elementary School, Brookpark Middle School and Grove City High School. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University with a BA in Urban Studies and Political Science, and received his Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with a concentration in Housing and Community Development. He continues to learn something new every day that was not covered in school.

Roger Wright, a Chicago native, has been writing since he could hold a pencil. His early work life was as a Special Education Teacher in the Uptown Neighborhood of Chicago and in starting the Education and Workforce Development Program for Jobs For Youth Chicago. He is a former ghostwriter, training developer and speaker for Gallup Publishing and has 20 years of experience in writing and leading customer service, management and leadership development programs in business, non-profit, education and faith settings. His “Chicago Guy” blog has a worldwide readership and has been a regular feature on-line at www.Fictionique.com and, for the past four years, the blog aggregator Open Salon. His upcoming book titles are: “Finding Work When There Are No Jobs” (Publication Date: January 2013) and “Street Corner Spirits.” Roger is a graduate of Beloit College and Players Workshop of The Second City.