Greater Chicago Food Depository

Providing food for hungry people, while striving to end hunger in the community.

• About Us
  The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a food distribution center that serves Cook County, Illinois, the second most populous county in the United States and home to approximately 5.2 million people. Distributing food through a network of 450 member food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that operate more than 700 community programs, the Food Depository’s mission is “providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community.” In fiscal year 2017, the organization distributed over 69 million pounds of food to individuals in Cook County – including 38 percent fresh produce – focusing on the provision of nutritious food to support healthy, balanced lifestyles.
• Our Impact
  In 2018,
  •1 in 6 of our neighbors turned to the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s network of partner agencies for food.
  •Cook County food pantries served our struggling neighbors more than five million times.
  •Our trucks were out in the community every day, distributing healthy, nutritious food to our hungry neighbors. Overall, we distributed over 69 million pounds of food – 38 percent of which was fresh fruit and vegetables.
  •In an effort to save our partners time and money, the Food Depository rolled out an all-delivery program. This program removes the burden on agencies to travel to the Food Depository to pick up food orders, and allows agencies to order as much food as they can store without worrying about the capacity of their vehicle.
  • The Food Depository's Research and Evaluation Manager researched the depth of need among individuals living with disabilities, and prepared a report that will shape the Food Depository's response to food insecurity for those with limited ability to visit traditional programs.
  •The Food Depository's partnerships with Cook County Health and Hospital Systems and ACCESS Health expanded to provide fresh produce and nutrition education resources to food insecure patients at 18 sites throughout Cook County.
  •The SNAP Outreach Team expanded their efforts to reach more families by partnering with Chicago Public Schools, leading to a record number of 7,500 applications submitted by the Food Depository and the benefits outreach network.
  •A national partnership with Feeding America and Starbucks called FoodShare launched in FY2017 to bring high quality, ready-to-eat meals to shelters in Cook County. Since its inception, the FoodShare program has provided over one million pounds of nutritious food for our neighbors in need.
  •The success of the Food Depository's two VA food pantries inspired a model for a nationwide partnership between Feeding America network food banks and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
  •Over 22,800 volunteers contributed 96,667 hours of service at the Food Depository.