New Lake Station food pantry close to opening soon after Soderquists' conviction
Chicago Tribune
September 18, 2015 - 4:15 PM
A large portion of former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist's public corruption trial earlier this month focused on how he and his wife raided the city's food pantry bank accounts to pay for their gambling trips.
That's why Amelia Lara wants people to know that the new food pantry coming to Lake Station has no connections to the city's government.
"We will not let two corrupt individuals of the city ruin what the citizens of Lake Station deserve," Lara said.
A federal jury found the former mayor and his wife, Deborah Soderquist, guilty earlier this month of wire fraud, and multiple counts of wire fraud and filing a false income tax return for using his campaign money and money meant for the Lake Station Food Pantry to pay for more than 50 gambling trips. Soderquist was automatically removed from office by state law once he was found guilty.
Lara, who works as director of volunteers for the Portage Township Food Pantry but lives in Lake Station, attended the trial and heard all the testimony about how the Soderquists kept control of the pantry's finances between just themselves and used an ATM debit card to take cash out from the pantry's bank account.
Lara has paid attention to the case since the Soderquists were indicted in April 2014 and said she started making plans for a new food pantry for her city soon after.
Since then, she's teamed up with First Baptist Church of Hammond, which will host the pantry. The church, which has run an emergency food pantry for 40 year, is trying to get the pantry up and running by the end of October, if not sooner, Pastor David Nykamp said.
The church has looked for ways to become more involved in the Lake Station community during the past few years, so when he met Lara several months ago, Nykamp said, he was immediately on board.
"It was kind of like it was meant to be," Nykamp said, saying he then advocated for the food pantry with his church members.
The process has involved applying to the NWI Food Bank, which helps provide food and other services to food pantries in Lake and Porter counties. NWI Food Bank officials have to inspect the new food pantry to make sure it meets various health and safety requirements, such as keeping food six inches off the ground, having a pest control plan in place and making sure coolers are at the right temperature.
Lara, who is serving as an adviser, knows the food bank could struggle with bad perceptions after the Soderquist trial.
"We have to assure them that we are not part of the city (government)," she said.
To help combat any negative perceptions, they're taking steps to reassure the community. That includes keeping the food pantry's financial records open to the public and requiring two signatures on checks, Lara said.
"It's very transparent," she said.
Nykamp said he's encouraged by the help the pantry has already received and that several businesses have said they will help out once it gets started.
"Actually, it's been amazing, the outpour," he said, adding that people brought donations during the city's Septemberfest festival. "It was amazing how many brought food for that."
The city's food pantry, which was started by former Mayor Shirley Wadding and then ran by Soderquist and his wife, is still open, although to what extent was not clear. Interim Mayor John McDaniel could not be reached for comment; nor could a representative with the NWI Food bank.
However, Nykamp said he has no problem with the city's pantry and his church both operating, pointing to the number of residents struggling to pay their bills and still have money left over for food. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21.5 percent of Lake Station residents live below the poverty level, compared to a statewide average of 15.4 percent.
"I'll be honest, I think we're going to be overwhelmed with the need here," he said. "I hope that the city will keep the other pantry open as well."
He added that although the plan at the start is to have the pantry open two days a month, he anticipates it won't be long before they offer more hours. A set schedule has not been decided yet, he said.
Lara voiced concerns about a city-run pantry, however, saying it should instead be run by the community as a whole. Lara said she's heard from most of the candidates seeking city seats in the general election this November and that she wants to stress to them they should volunteer and donate personally, not as a public official.
She rejoiced when the jury returned a guilty verdict.
"I feel like the justice system served the citizens of Lake Station fairly, equally and proudly," she said. "I was probably the happiest when I heard the jury speak loudly that we will not tolerate this behavior."
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