Susan Rizo is an 11-year-old fifth grader who loves to read, cook, go on field trips to the zoo, and work at the library. She credits these interests, in large part, to Club One, the original Union League Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, where she has been going for activities and a meal nearly every day after school for the past four years. “I love it here,” she says. “On the days that I come here, I’m really happy, because I get to see my friends and participate in activities.” Club One, located in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, has been serving the Pilsen community since 1919.  At Cl ..read more

In the city of Chicago and across Cook County, there is a struggle that many face daily: affording nutritious food for their families or paying for other critical expenses. At the Greater Chicago Food Depository, we believe food is a basic human right for all. That means no one should have to choose between buying groceries, paying rent, covering utility bills or affording medications. Pantry guest visits our partner panty, Chicago Hope. You don’t have to explain anything to us - we understand. Life’s financial commitments can sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful, forcing our communi ..read more

It is a sobering contrast. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security Report, more than 44 million people in the United States live in food insecure households, 13 million of whom are children. Yet every year, while families struggle to put food on their table, we waste 80 million tons of food. According to Feeding America, 38 percent of our nation’s food supply ends up in a landfill or an incinerator. The Natural Resources Defense Council asserts that the U.S. could feed every food insecure person with just one-third of the food that is wasted each year. Fo ..read more

When David Flores, 57, retired from the Chicago Fire Department in 2021 after 20+ years of service, he knew he was ready for a new mission. Becoming a Food Depository volunteer allowed him to continue doing what comes naturally to him – serving others. “I feel so fortunate to be in the position I’m in,” he said. “I’m finally at the place where I have the freedom to spend my time as I choose. I want to keep doing something that is useful, something that gives back to the community.” Flores had seen the Food Depository trucks drive through his neighborhood, and he knew his wife and son had vo ..read more

“This place doesn’t just fill your stomach,” said Dale Wesley, 44, as he gestured to the Park Café guests eating and chatting around him. “This place gives me a sense of hope – like the community has my back.” Park Café, the more common name of the soup kitchen run by the Seeds Center of Maple Park, serves a hot meal twice a week to their neighbors in West Pullman. Wesley is one of their grateful regulars. Due to a recent surgery, he isn’t currently working. But groceries still cost hundreds of dollars a month, he lamented. Park Café helps fill in the gaps, Welsey said, and provides a neede ..read more

All Chicagoans can agree that the weather is unpredictable. In a single week, you can experience snow, rain and sunshine. While you can’t always rely on the weather forecast, you can always rely on the Greater Chicago Food Depository and our network of over 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other meal programs to have the fresh and healthy food you need near you, conveniently accessible whenever you need it. Oak Forest community members receiving turkeys. Our find food map is an interactive and easy-to-use resource that can help you locate nearby pantries and programs. You ca ..read more

Jaqueline G. has called Gage Park home for more than three decades. She lives alone, and due to her multiple illnesses, is unable to work. Jaqueline receives monthly disability and Social Security benefits, but it’s still not enough to afford everyday necessities. “Between rent, the car, car insurance, life insurance, the things you pay for in life every day, I’m lucky if I end up with maybe 20 bucks in my pocket every month,” she said. Thankfully, Jaqueline discovered the food pantry at St. Gall Catholic Church, a longtime partner of the Food Depository, and has been visiting ever since ..read more

On a sunny Saturday morning in February, the Food Depository buzzed with energy as 95 members of the Divine Nine sororities and fraternities arrived for the second annual Divine Nine Repack Competition in celebration of Black History Month. The National Pan-Hellenic Council, commonly called the Divine Nine, is composed of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities, or Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs). The first BGLO, Alpha Phi Alpha, was founded in 1906 at Cornell University as a response to discrimination against Black students within traditionally white Greek o ..read more

As Darriel Anderson participated in the Food Depository’s Food Equity Ambassador program over the past year, she realized one of the most valuable tools in her work to help end hunger – her voice. “One of my major takeaways is that every voice matters,” said Anderson, who for the past ten years has overseen the food pantry at Circle Urban Ministries in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Anderson shared her insights at a recent gathering to celebrate the graduation of the second cohort of Food Equity Ambassadors. The Food Depository launched the Food Equity Ambassador program two years ago to de ..read more

Ernest Leggs is a fourth-generation resident of Chicago’s historic West Pullman neighborhood, where he works as a carpenter and raises three teenagers as a single father. At times, it’s a challenge to provide enough food for his family. “Those are growing kids,” he said. “They eat so much; they eat more than I do.” Leggs, 54, has a new source for help with feeding his family: the Seeds Center of Maple Park’s new food pantry. Ernest Leggs is grateful for the food he's received from the new pantry. Five years ago, Leggs visited the Seeds Center for the first time, having heard about it thro ..read more