Greater Chicago Food Depository
Encyclopedia
The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in Chicago
and throughout Cook County, Illinois
. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchen
s and shelters to 500,000 adults and children every year. In fiscal year 2007-08, the Food Depository distributed more than 46 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of more than 95,000 meals every day.
The Food Depository is a charter member of Feeding America (formerly known as America's Second Harvest), the nation's food bank network.
, who in 1967 founded the first food bank
, a warehouse which received donated food and distributed it to soup kitchens in Phoenix, Arizona
, Tom O’Connell in 1978 collaborated with Robert W. Strube Sr., Father Philip Marquard, Gertrude Snodgrass, Ann Connors and Ed Sunshine to set up a food bank similar to the Phoenix
model, called the Greater Chicago Food Depository. ("Food Depository"—rather than "Food Bank"—was chosen because of an Illinois statute that then prohibited the use of the word "bank" in the name of non-banking entities.)
The City of Chicago provided a start-up grant, and Strube Celery and Vegetable Company donated warehouse space. The Food Depository distributed 471,000 pounds of food from 22 food donors to 85 agencies in its first year of operation. The food bank’s supply grew when Illinois legislators passed a Good Samaritan law in 1981. The legislation protected food contributors from legal liabilities (Congress passed national legislation in 1996). Within a year food donors increased to 111, distribution to 6.1 million pounds and agencies to 375, and the Food Depository leased a more spacious warehouse. The growing food bank settled in a 91000 square feet (8,454.2 m²) facility at 4501 South Tripp Avenue in 1984.
In 1986, the Food Depository established a Perishable Food Program, now known as Food Rescue, with a grant from Chicago Community Trust. The program ferried unused food from restaurants and caterers to soup kitchens. The Food Depository further broadened its distribution in 1993. The Produce People Share Program addressed the need for fresh fruits and vegetables in the community, and the first Kids Cafe began serving after-school hot meals for low-income children.
By 1998, the Food Depository’s distribution topped 25 million pounds. In that same year, the food bank founded Chicago’s Community Kitchens, a free, 12-week culinary training program for unemployed and underemployed adults. In 2001, the first Producemobile, a farmers’ market on wheels, began distributing fresh produce to low-income communities.
, and two suburban public school districts have teamed up to offer the bags of food in 30 community schools, which offer after-school programming for children and parents. More than 4,600 bags of healthy snacks are distributed every week.
Client workshops and classes range from food safety and sanitation, nutrition, fundraising, grant writing, creating and maintaining budgets to operational best practices. All classes are taught by Food Depository staff, agency representatives and skilled practitioners who are knowledgeable in their topic areas. Pantry University is approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training to award Continuing Education Units for qualifying classes.
complexes, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sites and other locations in Cook County. Approximately 4,400 seniors are served every month through the produce delivery program. In 2007, the Food Depository began delivering boxes of nonperishable food to 39 CHA and HUD senior residences in Chicago. Nearly 3,000 boxes, or “senior packs,” are delivered every month. Of the nearly 500,000 people who rely on food from the Food Depository and its network of 600 member agencies every year, 10 percent are older adults.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and throughout Cook County, Illinois
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 food pantries, soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
s and shelters to 500,000 adults and children every year. In fiscal year 2007-08, the Food Depository distributed more than 46 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of more than 95,000 meals every day.
The Food Depository is a charter member of Feeding America (formerly known as America's Second Harvest), the nation's food bank network.
History
Following in the footsteps of John van HengelJohn van Hengel
John van Hengel was an American activist credited with establishing the first food bank in 1967. Hengel was born in Waupun, Wisconsin but died on October 5, 2005, at hospice in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 83 years old.-External links:*...
, who in 1967 founded the first food bank
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
, a warehouse which received donated food and distributed it to soup kitchens in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Tom O’Connell in 1978 collaborated with Robert W. Strube Sr., Father Philip Marquard, Gertrude Snodgrass, Ann Connors and Ed Sunshine to set up a food bank similar to the Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
model, called the Greater Chicago Food Depository. ("Food Depository"—rather than "Food Bank"—was chosen because of an Illinois statute that then prohibited the use of the word "bank" in the name of non-banking entities.)
The City of Chicago provided a start-up grant, and Strube Celery and Vegetable Company donated warehouse space. The Food Depository distributed 471,000 pounds of food from 22 food donors to 85 agencies in its first year of operation. The food bank’s supply grew when Illinois legislators passed a Good Samaritan law in 1981. The legislation protected food contributors from legal liabilities (Congress passed national legislation in 1996). Within a year food donors increased to 111, distribution to 6.1 million pounds and agencies to 375, and the Food Depository leased a more spacious warehouse. The growing food bank settled in a 91000 square feet (8,454.2 m²) facility at 4501 South Tripp Avenue in 1984.
In 1986, the Food Depository established a Perishable Food Program, now known as Food Rescue, with a grant from Chicago Community Trust. The program ferried unused food from restaurants and caterers to soup kitchens. The Food Depository further broadened its distribution in 1993. The Produce People Share Program addressed the need for fresh fruits and vegetables in the community, and the first Kids Cafe began serving after-school hot meals for low-income children.
By 1998, the Food Depository’s distribution topped 25 million pounds. In that same year, the food bank founded Chicago’s Community Kitchens, a free, 12-week culinary training program for unemployed and underemployed adults. In 2001, the first Producemobile, a farmers’ market on wheels, began distributing fresh produce to low-income communities.
Producemobile
In 2001, produce delivery to neighborhoods in need expanded as the Greater Chicago Food Depository launched the Producemobile. This single “farmer’s market on wheels” quickly became an important addition to Food Depository services. With food distribution needs rising, a second Producemobile took to the streets of Chicago in 2005. These beverage-style trucks take donated fresh fruits and vegetables directly to hundreds of hungry people across Chicago on a weekly basis. Many of these individuals live in areas where produce is difficult or costly to obtain.Mobile Pantry
The Mobile Pantry program, launched in 2007, distributes nonperishable food and perishable food to more than twelve sites each month. The Mobile Pantry brings food to communities that have a high concentration of poverty but relatively low levels of Food Depository food assistance, as identified by the 2006 Cook County Unmet Need Study. The program aims to serve working people by delivering food on evenings and weekends—when food assistance typically is not available.Food Rescue
Since 1987, the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Food Rescue program has been recovering prepared and perishable foods, such as meats, dairy products, baked goods and produce that might otherwise have been wasted. Using refrigerated trucks, Food Rescue drivers—who are state-certified in food handling and sanitation—collect surplus foods at grocery stores, restaurants, caterers and cafeterias. These donations are then delivered to pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for incorporation into their meal plans.Kids Cafes
The Kids Cafe program is a national initiative of Feeding America and administered locally by the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Since 1993, the Food Depository’s Kids Cafes have tackled the issue of childhood hunger by partnering with after-school programs to provide hot meals, tutoring and other educational programs for children in a safe, nurturing environment. The Food Depository has launched 44 Kids Cafes, serving more than 2,500 children each day.Nourish for Knowledge
Nourish for Knowledge provides take-home bags of food on weekends to schoolchildren in low-income neighborhoods. The Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Chicago Public SchoolsChicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
, and two suburban public school districts have teamed up to offer the bags of food in 30 community schools, which offer after-school programming for children and parents. More than 4,600 bags of healthy snacks are distributed every week.
Chicago's Community Kitchens
Founded in 1998, Chicago’s Community Kitchens is a free, 12-week culinary training program for unemployed and underemployed adults. The program, located at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, prepares students for a productive career in foodservice by providing them with a solid foundation in food preparation. Students gain experience in a state-of-the-art industrial kitchen while preparing up to 12,500 nutritious meals each week for children at Kids Cafes, after-school hot meal programs in low-income areas. The course includes a two-week internship in commercial kitchens in a corporate cafeteria, hospital, hotel or restaurant.Pantry University
Founded in 2004, Pantry University is the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s training program for member pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Pantry University is dedicated to building the capacity of member agency partners by providing training and educational workshops on topics such as grant writing, creating budgets and volunteer management. Pantry University has offered courses at the Greater Chicago Food Depository as well as at community colleges, neighborhood centers and agency sites throughout Cook County.Client workshops and classes range from food safety and sanitation, nutrition, fundraising, grant writing, creating and maintaining budgets to operational best practices. All classes are taught by Food Depository staff, agency representatives and skilled practitioners who are knowledgeable in their topic areas. Pantry University is approved by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training to award Continuing Education Units for qualifying classes.
Older Adults
The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Older Adult Program was formally launched in May 2006 to address the needs of low-income seniors. The program delivers fresh produce to seniors at 42 Chicago Housing AuthorityChicago Housing Authority
The Chicago Housing Authority is a municipal corporation established by the State of Illinois in 1937 with jurisdiction for the administrative oversight of public housing within the City of Chicago...
complexes, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sites and other locations in Cook County. Approximately 4,400 seniors are served every month through the produce delivery program. In 2007, the Food Depository began delivering boxes of nonperishable food to 39 CHA and HUD senior residences in Chicago. Nearly 3,000 boxes, or “senior packs,” are delivered every month. Of the nearly 500,000 people who rely on food from the Food Depository and its network of 600 member agencies every year, 10 percent are older adults.