After a fire shut down Together We Cope in late 2022, the Tinley Park nonprofit is open again at 17010 S. Oak Park Ave.
The organization reopened in July 2024 after months of cleanup and repairs, but on Friday, Oct. 17, the open house gave staff, volunteers, and neighbors a chance to come back inside and see how far things had come.
Appetizers moved through while local musician JD Kostyk played guitar in the corner. Folks drifted between the pantry, the resale shop, and the front offices, and catching up. For many, it was the first time back in the building since the fire.
“It feels beautiful,” said Souheir Abdelreham, director of client services. “It’s getting busier every day, especially with what’s going on in the economy. We see more people in need, and that’s why being open again means so much.”
Abdelreham, who has worked in social services for eight years, said the job can weigh on her but still feels like the right place to be. “Some days you go home and can’t shake the stories,” she said. “But then you hear someone laugh again or just say thank you, and it reminds you why you do this.”
The 2022 fire started in a sorting room behind the resale shop. Sprinklers kept it from spreading, but smoke and water ruined most of the inventory and food donations. For months, staff worked out of smaller offices, keeping programs running however they could.
“When we reopened, the phones didn’t stop ringing,” said Tracy Taylor, who works as reception/client intake. “People were so excited to donate again. You don’t realize how much this place means until it’s gone.”
Taylor has been with Together We Cope for five years. What she loves most, she said, is seeing relief on someone’s face when help comes quickly. “Sometimes people walk in scared or embarrassed,” she said. “Being able to tell them, ‘You’re in the right place, we can help,’ changes everything.”
Gina Rydz, director of grants and programs, said the rebuilding happened with steady community support. “We had plumbers, flooring companies, and schools calling to ask what they could do,” she said. “We were not forgotten. Even while the doors were closed, people kept checking in and asking when they could bring food, when we’d need help. That meant everything.”
Rydz, who has worked with the organization for 15 years, said its strength comes from a small, close staff. “We all share the same mission,” she said. “Everyone here is doing this work for the same reason, to make sure no one in this community slips through the cracks.”
Andrea Colletta, a case manager with client services, first came to the nonprofit as a volunteer. “I remember sitting at the front desk and watching the case managers talk to clients and thinking, That’s what I want to do,” she said. She later joined the staff full time.
“It’s the toughest but most rewarding job I’ve ever had. Sometimes people just need to be heard. When someone leaves feeling lighter, that’s enough.”
Together We Cope serves 27 communities in Chicago’s south suburbs, providing food, clothing, and emergency assistance to families in need.
Staff said the open house wasn’t about ceremony, it was about showing that after nearly two years of working in borrowed spaces, the agency is fully back.
The doors are open, the lights are on, and the work goes on.
