The Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) is a nonprofit organization that fights hunger throughout

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

. The GCFD distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 700 food pantries,

soup kitchen A soup kitchen, food kitchen, or meal center, is a place where food is offered to the Hunger, hungry usually for free or sometimes at a below-market price (such as via coin donations upon visiting). Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoo ...

s, shelters and community programs, serving more than 800,000 adults and children every year. In

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2016, the GCFD distributed more than 70 million pounds of nonperishable food, produce, dairy products, and meat - the equivalent of more than 160,000 meals every day. Of the $96,883,955 spent in 2016, over 90% went to direct food distribution programs. The GCFD is a charter member of

Feeding America Feeding America is a United States–based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. ...

, the nation's

food bank A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food direc ...

network.

History

The Greater Chicago Food Depository was founded in 1979 by Tom O’Connell, Robert W. Strube Sr., Rev. Philip Marquard, Gertrude Snodgrass, Ann Connors and Ed Sunshine. Following an increase of poverty in the Chicago area, the six founders were inspired to start a food bank. They followed the example of

John van Hengel John Arnold van Hengel (February 21, 1923 – October 5, 2005) was a grassroots activist and entrepreneur credited as being the "Father of Food Banking". In 1967, van Hengel founded St. Mary's Food Bank, the world's first food bank in Phoenix, Ari ...

, who started the nation's first food bank in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. However, due to an Illinois statute that prohibited the use of the word ‘bank’ in the name of non-banking entities, the name ‘depository’ was chosen. A year after incorporation, the Greater Chicago Food Depository opened their doors at the Chicago South Water Market. Major benefactors included the

City of Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, which provided a start-up grant, as well as Strube Celery and Vegetable Company, which donated warehouse space. By the end of their first year, the GCFD distributed 471,000 pounds of food from 22 food donors to 85 agencies. Food supply grew in 1981 when Illinois legislators passed a

Good Samaritan law Good Samaritan laws offer legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are, or whom they believe to be injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated. Within a year, food donors increased to 111, distribution to 6.1 million pounds and agencies to 375. The growing food bank settled in a 91,000-square-foot (8,454 m²) facility at 4501 South Tripp Avenue in 1984. In 1986, GCFD established a Perishable Food Program, now known as

Food Rescue Food rescue, also called food recovery, food salvage or surplus food redistribution, is the practice of gleaning edible food that would otherwise go to waste from places such as farms, produce markets, grocery stores, restaurants, or dining facilit ...

, with a grant fro
Chicago Community Trust
The program collected and distributed unused food from restaurants and caterers to soup kitchens. The depository further broadened its distribution in 1993 with new programs. 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, GCFD'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. The GCFD acquired a new warehouse and training center, in 2004, which allowed them to double their food distribution capacity. The 268,000-square-foot (24,900 m²) facility is located in

Archer Heights, Chicago Archer Heights is a community area in Chicago, Illinois, one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. Archer Avenue runs from south of Chicago's downtown area, through the southwest side of Chicago and beyond into the southwest suburbs, ...

, and remains the headquarters of the GCFD today. In addition to increased storage space, the facility hosts administration and training programs like Pantry University, which began the same year.

Organization Structure

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is led by a Leadership Team, a Board of Directors, and an Associate Board. The Leadership Team consists of the CEO/Executive Director, Chief Marketing Officer, Vice President of Operations, Chief Financial Officer, Chief People Officer, Vice President of Community Impact, and the Vice President of Development. The Board of Directors is made up of local business leaders in a variety of industries. The Associate Board, launched in 2014, is led by two co-chairs. The board consists of more than 100 volunteer young business professionals interested in helping further the organization's mission. As of November 2017, there are 138 employees of the GCFD, as well as 23,594 volunteers. Administration costs are $5,680,478 annually, about 5% of total expenses.

Programs

Producemobile

In 2001, GCFD launched the Producemobile, a beverage-style truck that delivers donated food directly to individuals across Chicago on a weekly basis. Many of these individuals live in areas where produce is difficult or costly to obtain. A second Producemobile was added in 2005, and eventually made its way to Evanston.

Mobile Pantry

The Mobile Pantry program launched in 2007, and distributes food to more than twelve sites each month. The sites are in areas with high poverty levels and low food assistance from the GCFD, according to the 2006 Cook County Unmet Need Study. In addition, the program delivers food on evenings and weekends to provide assistance to more people.

Hunger Walk

In 1985, the GCFD organized the Hunger Walk, an event which helps raise awareness on hunger and supports the GCFD. In 2017, it is reported that over 12,000 people participated in their 32nd annual Hunger Walk in Chicago's Jackson Park. The Hunger Walk spans 2 miles, and through the revenue from this event, GCFD could fund some of their partner agencies for an entire year.

Food Rescue

Since 1987, the GCFD'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, food catering businesses, and cafeterias. These donations are then delivered to pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters for incorporation into their meal plans.

Kids Cafe

The Kids Cafe program is a national initiative of

and administered locally by the GCFD. Since 1993, the Food Depository's Kids Cafes have partnered with after-school programs to provide hot meals, tutoring, and other educational programs for children. The Food Depository has launched 44 Kids Cafes, serving more than 2,500 children each day.

Older Adult Program

The GCFD'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 80

Chicago Housing Authority The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is a municipal corporation that oversees public housing within the city of Chicago. The agency's Board of Commissioners is appointed by the city's mayor, and has a budget independent from that of the city of C ...

complexes,

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

sites, and other locations in Cook County. Of the 812,000 people who rely on food from the Food Depository and its network of member agencies every year, 18 percent are older adults.

Veterans' programs

The GCFD serves hundreds of

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

s on a weekly basis, estimated between 125 and 175 veterans. The GCFD has two pantries specifically used to serve veterans, located at the VA Hospitals in Cook County at Jesse Brown and at Hines. Combined, both pantries have been able to provide assistance to about 88,000 veterans. In addition to food, GCFD provides veterans with other necessities such as long underwear, socks, bags and sleeping bags.

Lunch Bus

The GCFD's lunch bus initiative provides food to children, who are eligible for free or reduce price meals at school, throughout the school year and summer. There are a total of 4 lunch buses with 24 stops from the

Little Village Little Village was an American/British rock band, formed in 1991 by Ry Cooder (guitar, vocal), John Hiatt (guitar, piano, vocal), Nick Lowe (bass, vocal) and Jim Keltner (drums). Each of the group's members had previously worked on Hiatt's 1987 ...

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

neighborhoods. The lunch buses serve children sandwiches and milk, both during the school year and the summer.

Fresh Truck

The Fresh Truck is a mobile program started by the GCFD and the Cook County Health and Hospitals System in 2015. It began, as a test program, as a way of providing healthy foods to people who are unable to get enough in their diet due to location and/or resources. Doctors, at hospitals, write people, who need more healthy nutrients in their diets, "prescriptions" which they can then take down to the fresh truck and redeem for fresh fruits and vegetables. This service is also available to the general public at certain times, when people able to go and obtain fresh fruits and vegetables from the fresh truck regardless of prescription.

Education and Training

Chicago's Community Kitchens

Founded in 1998, Chicago's Community Kitchens is a free, 14-week culinary training program for people with barriers to employment like arrest records or lack of work history. The program, located at the GCFD, prepares students for a career in food service by providing them with a solid foundation in food preparation. Students spend the first 12 weeks training and the final two weeks working, as an intern, at a professional kitchen. The program has a 90% job placement rate, and graduates have been able to land jobs in some of Chicago's top restaurants. GCFD has also assisted students, of the program, with transportation while they are enrolled in the program.

Pantry University

Founded in 2004, Pantry University is the GCFD'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 GCFD 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.

Partnerships

The GCFD is sustained, in part, by a variety of corporate sponsorship. In particular, many

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

food suppliers provide direct donations to the GCFD. Companies that have donated or donate to the GCFD include

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

, Buddig & Company,

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

Jewel-Osco Jewel-Osco is a regional supermarket chain in the Chicago metropolitan area, headquartered in Itasca, a western suburb. In 2007, the company had 188 stores across northern, central, and western Illinois; eastern Iowa; and portions of northwest ...

Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and an independent subsidiary of WH Group. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter ...

and

Gotham Greens Gotham Greens is an American fresh food and urban agricultural company founded and headquartered in the Brooklyn borough of New York City that grows local produce year-round in greenhouses, with its lettuces, herbs, salad dressings and sauces sold ...

. In addition, the GCFD has partnered with

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

to find ways to curb food insecurity by providing fruits and vegetables to more than 760,000 affected residents.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Greater Chicago Food Depository
Food banks in Illinois Non-profit organizations based in Chicago