Food pantries and soup kitchens struggling to meet the needs of hungry Chicagoans now have more support. Jewel-Osco introduced its new Hunger Relief Grant Program, which will give much-needed funds to local pantries and kitchens in Illinois and Indiana.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank and Food Bank of Northwest Indiana helped to create the $250,000 grant program in conjunction with Jewel-Osco. “It came out of a series of conversations that we had had with Jewel about their desire to focus their philanthropy around hunger,” Kate Maehr, executive director of the GCFD, explained.
Based on their applications, the pantries and soup kitchens will receive $2,500 to boost their operational efficiency and allow them to utilize resources already available through local food banks. Buying refrigerators, stoves, and shelving units are all examples of acceptable uses of grant money, explained Miguel Alba, director of public affairs for Jewel-Osco.
Food pantries and soup kitchens can also get a food credit of up to $750 through the food banks. “If an agency is using $750 to get food, that frees up $750 that they can use to get gas in their vehicle,” Maehr said. While expressing gratitude to Jewel-Osco over the program, Kara Boyd, board president of Northern Illinois Food Bank, explained that due to high-energy costs and unemployment, more people need assistance, which makes it harder for agencies to provide for them.
“Many of our member agency partners are small, volunteer-run organizations,” said Todd Warnock, board chair of the GCFD. “These grants will strengthen the charitable food distribution network and help us meet the rising need in our community.”
Indeed, based on a study conducted by the GCFD in conjunction with America’s Second Harvest, close to 500,000 people rely on emergency and supplemental food provided by the Food Depository. According to the study, 70 percent of those individuals are Black.
The study also showed that 39 percent of the households helped include at least one employed adult, 33 percent of the people helped are under 18 years of age, and 10 percent of respondents were senior citizens. Depending on the success of the program during its pilot year, Jewel-Osco plans to continue with it in the future, Alba said.
Food pantries and soup kitchens have until August 29 to submit a grant application. The applications are available on the websites of the GCFD, NIFB and FBNI. These food banks will send applications to the pantries and soup kitchens that are current members. Grants should be awarded the first week of November.
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