52 Stories, 52 Weeks: Starting fresh

Renee Phillips visits the Alvernia Food Pantry in Elmwood Park once a month.

Renee Phillips needed a change.

In May, she moved from Florida to Illinois, after being released from prison. She wanted to start over and found a job as a waitress, but was laid off soon after. So, she turned to the Alvernia Food Pantry in Elmwood Park.

“I was homeless for a while, but Alvernia has been amazing. I would be starving if it weren’t for this place,” she said.

Renee received counseling through St. Celestine Church, which manages the pantry. Her future is looking brighter. She found an apartment and is now working full-time in retail.

While she’s slowly building up savings, she still needs the pantry for the essentials.

“I get bread, meat, eggs and vegetables here,” she said. “That’s what keeps me eating.”

52 Stories, 52 Weeks: Fighting cancer, feeding family

David Suarez, a proud U.S. Army Veteran, shares his story at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

Many people affectionately know David Suarez as “the Picasso of the South Side.”

David, a 72-year-old Army Veteran proud of his service, built a shrine to the Armed Forces in the front yard of his Canaryville home. He was a general contractor and built his own home, enjoying success in his field.

But in 2006, he was diagnosed with cancer and the treatment quickly began to drain his savings.

“I didn’t want to go to a pantry at first because of pride. Foolish pride,” he said.

But David, now a three-time cancer survivor, and his wife Barbara, both unable to work, found assistance at the Union Avenue UMC church food pantry near their home.

“I realized how helpful the people there were and how important the food was to my family,” David said. “Being cared for like that is amazing.”

At Union Avenue, David receives staple items needed to maintain a healthy diet.

“Because of that pantry and the Food Depository, I’ve had the nutrition support that I’ve needed. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been fighting my cancer,” he said.

52 Stories, 52 Weeks: 'This pantry is hugely beneficial to me'

Dorothy Oviedo lives in La Grange and receives food assistance from the St. Francis Xavier Food Pantry.

Dorothy Oviedo has been coming to the St. Francis Xavier food pantry in La Grange for nearly 10 years, since she and her husband separated. She works part-time in childcare and owns her home.

She had always hoped her savings would be enough to help her make ends meet when she got older, but now she isn’t sure - her mortgage and monthly payments are quickly depleting her emergency funds.

“The pantry really helps stretch my food stamp dollars,” she said.

Dorothy receives $189 per month in SNAP benefits. But she still can’t afford produce, so she receives it at the food pantry.

“I get all kinds of fresh vegetables at the pantry,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to afford them otherwise.”

In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, Dorothy receives meat, bread and shelf-stable food at the pantry.

“It’s hugely beneficial to me,” she said.

52 Stories, 52 Weeks: Raising our voice

Ulondia Johnson tells her story to Rep. Robin Kelly's staff as Food Depository executive director and CEO Kate Maehr looks on.

Ulondia Johnson has struggled with hunger practically her entire life. Living in the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, she has had trouble finding jobs and making enough to support her three children.

“I would come home crying because we didn’t have enough to eat,” she said.

She knew she had to break her cycle of poverty, so she enrolled in a six-month certificate program at a local college that trained her to teach art. She’s now working at the Golden Gate Day Care Center, a Greater Chicago Food Depository member agency near Altgeld Gardens.

“You just have to have the right mindset and good things will come to you,” she said.

But, Ulondia wasn’t content just defeating her own hunger. She wanted to make a difference for her neighbors in need. She applied, and was accepted for, a scholarship to join the Food Depository at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference this past week in Washington, D.C.

“I have known hunger in my life and so have my children,” she said. “I want to tell lawmakers that story.”

And she did. On Tuesday, Food Depository advocates visited with 11 lawmakers on Capitol Hill. In a meeting with Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly’s staff, Ulondia told her story, while holding back tears.

“I have experienced hunger,” she said. “It’s hard when you don’t have enough to eat.”

After the meeting, Ulondia received plenty of hugs from the other advocates. As she walked away from Rep. Kelly’s office, she knew she had made a difference.

“My voice was heard today,” she said.

For more on the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, read the live blog or check out our Why I Advocate series.

Why I Advocate: Kate Maehr

From left to right, Jody Blaylock, Kate Maehr, Kamil Walton, Ulondia Johnson and Suzy Lee, outside Rep. Robin Kelly's office on Capitol Hill. 

In the Why I Advocate blog series, three individuals who joined Greater Chicago Food Depository staff and other advocates at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference explained what motivated them. In the conclusion of the series, Kate Maehr, Food Depository executive director and CEO, describes her experiences on the trip.

More than any other year, I was absolutely inspired and amazed by my experience at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference this past week. The Food Depository brought almost 30 advocates to the conference – the largest group we’ve ever assembled. It was incredible to see the group learning about advocacy and brainstorming better ways to serve those in need. But on Tuesday, one brave act struck me as the defining moment of our trip.

I was joined by Ulondia Johnson, a Food Depository advocate from a South Side member agency, in our meeting with Rep. Robin Kelly’s staff on Capitol Hill. Ulondia and the rest of the advocates were asked to bring a few client stories with them to the meetings to share with lawmakers. Instead of telling a client story, Ulondia told her own story.

Ulondia is a single mother living in the Altgeld Gardens neighborhood and was making her first trip to Washington. She has struggled with hunger intermittently for years and currently is the assistant lead teacher and cook at the Golden Gate Day Care Center. She also receives SNAP. Her life has been a constant battle to take care of her children and afford food. As she told her story to Rep. Kelly’s staff, she began to cry.

“I have experienced hunger,” she said. “It’s hard when you don’t have enough to eat.”

Ulondia was incredibly brave to tell her story to total strangers. To me, her courage defines what the trip to Washington is all about: raising our voice. Ulondia raised her voice using her own story to make a lasting impact. On Tuesday, 30 Food Depository advocates collectively raised their voice in Washington, D.C.

Whether it was with stories, statistics or personal experiences, our message is clear and it is strong: no one should go hungry in our community.

Read the other entries in the Why I Advocate series here.

Why I Advocate: Kamil Walton

Nearly 30 anti-hunger advocates from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and member agencies are joining more than 900 other advocates in Washington, D.C. for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. They are learning about advocacy best practices and meeting with Cook County lawmakers. In the “Why I Advocate” series, members of the group explain what motivates them.

Kamil Walton is the Homeless Prevention Manager at the Ford Heights Community Service Organization, a Food Depository member agency in the South Suburbs.

In Ford Heights, the food insecurity rate is 36 percent. That means slightly more than 1 in 3 people are hungry. That’s a staggering number, but it’s also our neighbors, friends and family. I see that need on a day-to-day basis, but it has never been as evident as it has this winter.

Despite the frigid temperatures, people in the community have still been coming to the pantry and our soup kitchen regularly. We served more than 270 individuals in January at the food pantry and 580 meals in our soup kitchen last month. Some, including older adults, brave the elements because they are struggling and it’s not an option to miss a pantry distribution.

And, a number of the people we see have jobs. So many are walking on what I call a “financial cliff.” They have a job but they still qualify for SNAP benefits. Then, when they get a second job or a raise, they lose their benefits entirely and again struggle to afford food. It’s a difficult, frustrating cycle. While I’m in Washington, I hope to be the voice of those people. I want lawmakers to know that there is a gap in support for the struggling working class. This gap must be filled.

Ultimately, I want lawmakers to know that even in Chicago, in Cook County, there is need. And it stretches all the way from Schaumburg, to as far south as Ford Heights.

For more from Washington, D.C. read our live blog of the trip and follow the Food Depository on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for pictures, insight, live updates and more.

Why I Advocate: Sarah Greenberg

Nearly 30 anti-hunger advocates from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and member agencies are joining more than 900 other advocates in Washington, D.C. for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. They are learning about advocacy best practices and meeting with Cook County lawmakers. In the “Why I Advocate” series, members of the group explain what motivates them.

Sarah Greenberg is the Health Programming and Pantry Coordinator at EZRA Multi-Service Center, a Food Depository member agency in Uptown.

A woman who regularly comes to EZRA recently told me her story. She had been doing fine financially, until she was diagnosed with a chronic illness. Paying for medical bills drained her savings and she quickly realized she did not have enough money for food every week. In search of a solution, she came to EZRA. She started receiving food at the pantry and our Uptown Cafe program and she now has enough food while receiving treatment and paying bills. Hers is a story of success and overcoming obstacles. It’s also a story of how anyone can fall on hard times and need emergency food assistance.

Everyone has a story. I’m in Washington at the Anti-Hunger Policy Conference because I want to learn the best ways to tell those client stories to lawmakers so that they can truly understand the kind of need we see in our community every day. Facts and figures are certainly important, but putting a human face on hunger is what can really move people and can really make a difference.

Similarly, I want to learn how to get clients more involved with advocacy efforts. Client stories make an impact, but having a client tell his or her own story is even more moving. Our voice is strongest when we are united as a community. When we unite and tell the stories of those we serve, we can begin to create a community in which everyone has access to the food that they need.

For more from Washington, D.C. read our live blog of the trip and follow the Food Depository on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for pictures, insight, live updates and more.

Why I Advocate: Ronald Hargrave

Nearly 30 anti-hunger advocates from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and member agencies are joining more than 900 other advocates in Washington, D.C. for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. They are learning about advocacy best practices and meeting with Cook County lawmakers. In the “Why I Advocate” series, members of the group explain what motivates them.

Ronald Hargrave is the Outreach Case Manager at St. Vincent De Paul Center, a Greater Chicago Food Depository member agency in Lincoln Park.

In the past few years, I’ve seen the face of hunger change. More and more, the people coming to the St. Vincent De Paul Center on the North Side are people who have lost their jobs. They’re older adults who are on a fixed income. They’re people deciding between paying for medicine and buying food. They’re struggling to afford food on a day-to-day basis.

All those people have had a different road to the food pantry. But, there’s one thing they have in common: the need for nutritious food. Too many times I’ve heard people at the pantry say that after rent, utilities, other bills and living expenses, they barely have enough money for food, let alone nutritious food.

We receive fresh fruit and vegetables through the Food Depository’s Food Rescue program and that’s a huge part of getting nutritious food into our community. But we also need to speak for our neighbors in need. We need lawmakers to know about the 78-year-old woman with a $1,200 per month pension who doesn’t qualify for SNAP and who can’t afford fresh produce. We need to let them know that access to healthy, nutritious food is a basic human right, and anything less is unacceptable. 

For more from Washington, D.C. read our live blog of the trip and follow the Food Depository on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for pictures, insight, live updates and more.

Live Blog: National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference 2014

Food Depository representatives will visit Cook County lawmakers on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.

Nearly 30 representatives from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and member agencies are joining more than 900 other anti-hunger advocates in Washington, D.C. Sunday through Tuesday for the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference. The attendees will be learning advocacy best practices during the conference, which will culminate in visits with Cook County lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

The Food Depository will be live-blogging here throughout the conference, providing insight from the GCFD participants, photos and other information. Be sure to check back often as we raise our voice to let Washington, D.C. know that No 1 Should Go Hungry!

Monday, March 3

Food Depository advocates met for dinner Monday night before embarking on lawmaker visits in the morning.

9:45 p.m. Ultimately, fighting hunger is about making sure people in our community have enough food to feed their family. It's about making sure a family can come together and share a meal, which is exactly what Food Depository advocates did tonight.

Amidst a family-style Italian dinner, the advocates shared their impressions of the conference: "Inspiring," "eye-opening," "a wealth of information," were just some of the ways the past two days were described.

As the group looked back, there is much still to look towards. Tuesday brings visits to 11 different lawmakers or their staffs on Capitol Hill, to discuss the need in Cook County. Food Depository executive director and CEO Kate Maehr summed up the spirit of the visits when she addressed the advocates at dinner, quoting the saying, "Nothing about us without us."

In order to raise our voices so that lawmakers know there are 860,670 men, women and children in our community who are hungry, we must actively educate them. And, armed with personal experiences, skills learned at the conference, and a passion for fighting hunger, nearly 30 Food Depository advocates will take to the Hill on Tuesday, to tell lawmakers that No 1 Should Go Hungry.

Follow the advocates as they meet with lawmakers Tuesday by liking the Food Depository on Facebook and following the Food Depository on Twitter.

3:07 p.m. Conference attendees were treated to a fantastic panel session at lunch, moderated by Pulitzer Prize winning author David Shipler, who wrote "The Working Poor: Invisible in America." The panel included Peter Edelman, a law professor at Georgetown University, Sylvia Drew Ivie, of the LA County Board of Supervisors, and Jim Weill, from the Food Research and Action Center.

Panelists discussed what has worked in the War on Poverty, what hasn't and what the nation needs to do moving forward to address hunger. Discussing what has worked, Edelman referred to the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account the effect of government benefits on poverty. 

"We should be very proud of our accomplishments in the War on Poverty," he said. "We would have twice as many people in poverty today if we didn't have government programs."

According to a report from Columbia University, when tracking poverty using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, poverty in 1967 was at 26 percent, compared to 16 percent in 2012.

In terms of what hasn't worked, Sylvia Drew Ivie said an increase in the minimum wage is needed. Edelman suggested there needs to be work done on the policy side, but that is difficult given a "damaged economy."

Wrapping up the discussion, Shipler summed up the issue: "Poverty, in the end, can be seen as an issue about children. They're innocent in this," he said. The long-term effects of poverty are devastating for a child's life."

Stay tuned for more from the conference and from our visits to Capitol Hill tomorrow. Also, check out the second part of our "Why I Advocate" series, featuring Sarah Greenberg from EZRA Multi-Service Center.

GCFD staff and advocates plan their visits to Capitol Hill.

8:45 a.m. One of the most important parts of the conference - visits with lawmakers on Capitol Hill - is quickly approaching. Before the conference gets underway this morning, Food Depository advocates are meeting to discuss the agendas and strategies for what will be a busy day on Capitol Hill tomorrow.

One of the most important parts of a Congressional visit is presenting your story to the staffer or legislator. A well-told narrative can make an incredible impact and can influence votes, so how an advocate tells his or her story to the lawmaker is critical. And, GCFD advocates seem ready to tackle the challenge.

"I've got three stories ready that I typed out," said David Tatum, from Firman Community Services.

Some are planning to tell stories based on their own experiences.

"I'm going to tell the lawmakers about my own struggle with hunger," said Ulondia Johnson, Assistant Lead Teacher at the Golden Gate Daycare Center. "I have known hunger in my life and so have my children and I want to tell that story."

Also this morning, the Dick Goebel Public Service Award will be announced, which honors an individual that exemplifies public service to their community and is a tireless advocate on behalf of hungry people. Food Depository executive director and CEO Kate Maehr received the award at last year's conference.

Sunday, March 2


9:09 p.m. What a day! The first day of the conference wrapped up with sessions on messaging and how to best tell your story to lawmakers by honing an effective, efficient, moving narrative.

As rain changes to snow tonight and Washington braces for a taste of Chicago winter (6-10 inches of snow, on top of a sheet of ice) that threatens to shut down the city, the conference will go on! Tomorrow, advocates will meet over breakfast to finalize plans for visits to Capitol Hill. We'll also hear from AARP Foundation President Lisa Ryerson at lunch.

Make sure to come back for more updates tomorrow! In the meantime, check out the first in our "Why I Advocate" series, as three advocates from GCFD member agencies write about what motivates them.

1:20 p.m. Through the first full sessions of the conference, the Food Depository group is already gaining insight. Ulondia Johnson, from the Golden Gate Day Care Center, went to a session on how the Farm Bill has affected SNAP.

"I wanted to learn more about SNAP so I can better educate my clients when they have questions at the daycare," she said.

Insight has been an early theme to the conference and so has inspiration. 

More than 870 people are attending this year's
conference, making it the largest turnout in the event's history.

The latter was most clear at the lunch plenary session. To see an enormous room full of men and women passionately dedicated to ending hunger is an incredible sight.

"It's inspiring," said Elise Cody, from Benton House. "You can really feel the energy of everyone building coalition together."

Feeding America President and CEO Bob Aiken spoke first at lunch. He highlighted the work that advocates did on the Farm Bill.

"The advocacy that we do is absolutely essential to ending hunger," he said. "Without our tireless advocates, I think the results (of the Farm Bill) would have been far worse."

Also speaking was Mayor Chip Johnson, from Hernando, Mississippi, and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.

"We can end hunger and poverty," she said, to much applause.

7:40 a.m. Welcome to Washington, D.C.! The Food Depository contingent arrived safely yesterday and is ready to be fully immersed in advocacy for the next few days.

"It's going to be a learning experience," said Pamela Powell, of the Christian Life Center in Berwyn.

The conference gets underway this morning with sessions discussing the causes of food insecurity, SNAP outreach, social media and more. We'll also hear from Feeding America President and CEO Bob Aiken at lunch.

Stay tuned to the live blog for more conference updates. Also, "like" the Food Depository on Facebook and follow @FoodDepository on Twitter for more from Washington!