Chicago Sky volunteers at Healthy Kids Market

Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles distributes fresh produce at a Healthy Kids Market.

Sylvia Fowles spends most of her time blocking shots and scoring baskets for the Chicago Sky. On Wednesday, May 22, Sylvia and her teammates handled nutritious food instead of basketballs.

Behind tables full of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy shelf-stable food, the Sky took some time after practice and volunteered at the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Healthy Kids Market at Beidler Elementary School in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

Healthy Kids Markets provide low-income families with a variety of healthy food options each week, which they can take home to make wholesome meals for their children.

Sylvia said the team thinks it’s important for children to get healthy meals.

“We all know that food is important,” she said. “Everybody needs to eat. Food gets you going throughout your day.”

The Sky and its foundation, Sky Cares, are partnered with the Food Depository and No Kid Hungry Illinois to raise awareness about child hunger in the Chicago area. Currently, 1 in 5 children in Cook County are food insecure.

“That’s a lot of people,” Sylvia said. “It makes you think. It makes you see how fortunate you are to be able to come out here and help.”

Research shows that child hunger can have a negative impact on the academic, physical and behavioral developments of the students.

Nikki Crowder is the Healthy Kids Market coordinator at Beidler Elementary School. She said the program has been effective in making kids aware of better options.

“A lot of them don’t know they have options other than fast food or junk food,” Nikki said. “Now, they are getting used to seeing healthy food and are excited about seeing it and are wanting it.”

Nikki said many of the students at Beidler are raised by their grandparents. This can make it difficult for them to get to pantries to get the food they need. By having a Healthy Kids Market at the school– where parents or guardians already have to come to pick up the children – the Food Depository is creating greater access to nutritious food each week.

See photos of the event on Facebook.

To learn more about the Food Depository’s programs like Healthy Kids Market and how you can support the fight against hunger, visit chicagosfoodbank.org.

Thanks to the Chicago Sky for volunteering!

Bank of America helps the Food Depository fight child hunger

Bank of America presented the Greater Chicago Food Depository with $100,000 to help fund its efforts to fight child hunger in Cook County. From left, Lauren Biedron, Food Depository; Julie Chavez, Bank of America; Jennifer Streder, Bank of America; Caroline Howe, Food Depository; and Kate Maehr, Food Depository.

Last week, Bank of America visited the Greater Chicago Food Depository to present a generous donation of $100,000 to help Food Depository children's programs end child hunger in Cook County. 

As a lead corporate supporter of the Food Depository's Healthy Kids Markets and Kids Cafe and Nourish for Knowledge programs, Bank of America's generous gift will help the Food Depository provide thousands of nutritious meals to children across Cook County every day. 

Children are disproportionately affected by hunger. Thirty-seven percent of the 678,000 individuals who turn to the Food Depository's network of  pantries, soup kitchens and shelters each year are under the age of 18. Nine percent are under the age of five.

Learn more about the Food Depository's efforts to end child hunger here. 

A Taste of the Lunch Bus: The End

The summer has rolled by with increasing speed this year; June slipped almost unnoticed into July, July scurried into August, and it is now September and children are preparing to go back to school, if they haven’t returned already. The days of dancing in fire hydrants, catching fireflies and chasing the ice cream truck are numbered, and so are my days aboard the Lunch Bus. Today is the final day of the Lunch Bus City Route. The South Suburban Route ended two weeks ago, and the desk my fellow intern used to occupy has sat empty for the past 10 days reminding me that soon my papers will be cleared off and my desk will await the new Lunch Bus intern next year.

I have definitely gotten my own taste of the hunger and nutrition problems in the city this summer. I remember children like Jerome Fears at Back of the Yards who told me all about the new McFlurry he tried, but asked what a plum was, and Bruce Thomas whose favorite restaurant is Burger King, but had never tried bell peppers before. As an intern, I often worried about the day to day: whether we had chocolate milk, how many meals I could give out at each site and if kids would enjoy the food that day. But as the summer comes to an end, I realize we did more than just hand out lunches; we gave mothers a chance to save some much needed money, and fed kids at least one nutritious meal per day.

Each site has a different reaction to the announcement that Friday will be the final day. The kids at the Wabash YMCA asked if I was going to bring cake. At Back of the Yards it came as no surprise, as they thought the last day would be a few weeks ago. And at Our Lady of Good Counsel, the Castaneda family with eight kids went back to school on Aug. 29, so they said their goodbyes last week and asked if I would be back next year.

It will, in fact, be a new intern as I am heading down to Washington DC to take grad school classes and work in Public Affairs for the Department of Transportation. And, although someone new will be handing out sandwiches and checking off meal counts next year, I will never forget my summer on the Lunch Bus.

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 15,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

A Taste of the Lunch Bus: Little Helpers

Last week, the Lunch Bus served 112 kids at the Miami Park site alone. So far, that is the record number served at any site on the City Suburban route—and is a milestone for the program. Some sites such as the Salvation Army in Little Village, has quadrupled in size since June, with more than 60 children served every day. With numbers this high, it can be difficult for me to enforce the rule that children must eat on site and keep the area clean, while also handing out lunches.

Recently, I haven’t had to worry about enforcing these rules alone. The children who visit the Lunch Bus regularly are incredibly willing to help. In fact, the minute we drive up to St. Pancratius, a group of kids asks to help unload the lunches. Whether they are naturally helpful, or just really hungry, their offers are much appreciated. Later, as I am packing up to leave and collecting garbage, my helpers will often spring into action again. This is especially noticeable at Miami Park, where Michelle and her sister Jasmine will jump up and climb under playground equipment to grab trash I hadn’t even seen. My helpers make my job much easier, but I am not the only one the kids assist.

At Back of the Yards, I noticed Rori would stop at Asia and Daeveon’s house before coming over to the park. Asia and “Dae Dae” are too young to cross the street by themselves, but Rori makes sure that the siblings get their lunches every day.

Many siblings help their younger brothers and sisters write their names if they are too young to use a pen. Christian is one such older brother at Miami Park. After he writes his and his siblings’ names, he often comes and sits in the grass by my table. When there is a long line, it’s difficult to hand out lunches and keep tabs on the exit. Suddenly, Christian will be at my side. “Their trying to leave,” he whispers, pointing to a group of kids sneaking out the exit. I explain they have to eat lunch at the park, and they turn back to the benches. When I asked him why he was helping me enforce the rules he said, as if it were obvious, “Because I want the Lunch Bus to keep coming for everybody.”

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 25,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

Taste of the Lunch Bus: Wabash YMCA

A traditional lunch begins at noon, and that is when the Lunch Bus rolls into the parking lot beside the Wabash YMCA near U.S. Cellular Field. We set up under a small tree in the middle of the lot, and wait for the children to come running down the street. They come from houses in the neighborhood, a summer school program down the street, and sometimes even the YMCA itself.

Today, some of our first customers were the Willis kids, 5-year-old Brandon and 8-year-old Carlyn, who always sprint down the sidewalk, regardless of whether or not they are late. Brandon usually brings his action figures, and, like many of the other kids, celebrates the days chocolate milk is on the menu. After visiting the Lunch Bus the first few days of summer, they soon invited their neighbors to join them.

Bruce Thomas, age 3, cannot write his name, so his sister Anaya comes to the front of the line to help, then returns to her spot. Bruce takes his lunch at sits behind me, and every once in a while I will get a tug on my shirt. Looking up at me with his big brown eyes, Bruce asks, “Can you do this for me?” and offers me a bag of animal crackers or a package of strawberries. Young Reggenia, his sister, doesn’t know her last name, but does know she loves applesauce. She loves it so much that she dances around with the cup, and about half the container winds up on her shirt by the end of lunch.

A day-care program started stopping by the Lunch Bus with a mini-van full of kids ranging in age from 2 to 13. The oldest is Jake who is very selective in his food choices. Once he sees what the lunch is for the day, he conducts an auction of the things he doesn’t like, such as milk, to trade for what he does, like apples or Baked Doritos. “He’s going to be quite the businessman,” one of my volunteer drivers remarked.

Recently, the Thomas family returned from a trip to visit family. The minute they saw the Lunch Bus they rushed down the sidewalk to tell me they were back. Bruce then looked up at me and asked, “So what’s for lunch?”

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 25,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

A Taste of the Lunch Bus: Miami Park

At 2:10 p.m., Miami Park in Little Village is at its busiest: kids swinging or running around the playground, mothers sitting on benches, watching and chatting. However, they are all waiting for the arrival of the Greater Chicago Food Depository Lunch Bus. When we arrive, there is already a line formed with just enough space for me and my sign-in table at the front.

The ride to Miami Park is often interesting as the community has many practices I had never seen before. Households have yard sales all week long by hanging clothing on their picket fences and the streets are lined with umbrella-covered stands selling fruit and “chicharonnes.” A few weeks ago, when the weather was sweltering, we drove through fire hydrants spraying full blast. Almost all the children who came to the Lunch Bus were dripping.

Miami Park is one of our busiest sites with upwards of 65 kids served each day. In fact, on Tuesday August 16th, 112 children received lunches at this site. When I make the announcement that they must eat their meal at the park, I have to do it in both Spanish and English, as the majority of the population is Hispanic. The children all sign their own names, which is entertaining at times. “No, I can do it!” little ones often shout before a parent or sibling can write their name. The other children in line wait patiently as each makes his or her mark, and often ask me questions.

“What is the food today?”

“Como estás?”

“How many boxes do you have?”

“Como te llamas?”

This last question was posed by Andy, a 3-year-old who always seems to have just come from playing in a fire hydrant. At first I tell him my name is Allison, but he can’t seem to pronounce it. So I say instead that it is Alicia, and he grins widely. The next day as we round the corner all I hear is “Alicia! Hola Alicia!”

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 20,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

A Taste of the Lunch Bus: Back of the Yards Park

Under a viaduct on 49th Street and through a mural-painted tunnel, the Lunch Bus travels to the Back of the Yards Park each morning at 11:15 a.m. The area is almost always silent—there are no children in the park and empty swings sway in the breeze. It is the slowest stop on the route, but its growth during the course of the summer is what keeps me hopeful.

Nearby paintings and billboards should have tipped me off to why the park is deserted. One image of candles stands out with the message “Someone was killed here.” Another reads: “No guns, children playing.” Recently a city worker cleaning up the park told us about the multiple gangs on either side of the bridge. It was no wonder that when six-year-old Ganiyra first came to the Lunch Bus, her eyes widened when I told her she had to eat her meal in the park. “But my mom doesn’t like us coming here,” she explained. “This is the shooter park.”

The Lunch Bus has helped lift this stigma this summer. Asia sometimes stays with her grandmother across the street and will peek out the window when the Lunch Bus pulls up, calling to her brother Daeveon, while hurrying over to ask if we have chocolate milk today. Rori, who lives a few doors down, recently offered me a small lanyard keychain. “I made this for you,” she said with a grin.

The park is still empty when the Lunch Bus arrives, but by the time we leave for the next stop, there are children laughing on the benches, swapping juice for animal crackers and giving us a glimpse of the park’s true potential.

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 15,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

A taste of the Lunch Bus: Our Lady of Good Counsel

On a shady corner besides the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in McKinley Park, the streets are quiet and lined with well-kept houses with the odd bicycle or scooter parked outside. It is here that the Lunch Bus stops at 12:45 p.m. each weekday to provide meals for the children in the area. At first it was the slowest stop, with just one little girl from across the street coming out each day. Gaby and I would have lunch together.

Two weeks in, word finally got out. One family with nine children began arriving each day in a large black van. The family would pile out and, after politely accepting their lunches, would sit together on the steps near the church to eat. Then a babysitter brought the two children she watches, Mia and Liam. Mia is two years old and learning both Spanish and English. “Manana!” she says as she rolls away in her stroller each afternoon. Ricardo and his sister Nubia also come often, always smiling and asking me how I am.

Lastly, the Napoleon family became Lunch Bus regulars. Each day Alyssa and her brothers, Jared and Jaden, sprint down the block when they see the Lunch Bus. On July 22, lunch included watermelon and celery. The Napoleons were excited for the fresh produce. “They love fruit,” their mother explained. “Once every two weeks the local grocery store has a 10 for $10 sale on fruit, and they keep track of when it is for me.” Alyssa smiled at me with her watermelon-juice lips, “Will there be more food like this next week?”

Allison Lantero is the City Route Lunch Bus intern at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The Lunch Bus returned in June, expanding its city and South Suburban routes to include a total of 15 sites across Cook County. Throughout the summer months the program will distribute approximately 15,000 meals reimbursed by the Illinois Board of Education. With the help of Food Depository interns and volunteers, the Lunch Bus visits sites in underserved neighborhoods to deliver healthy food directly to children. The Food Depository identified priority areas for the Lunch Bus based on the Running on Empty study of child hunger, released in 2010.

Child’s choice leaves indelible memory

Last week, I was at the Food Depository’s Healthy Kids Market at Burke Elementary School in the Washington Park neighborhood. Healthy Kids Markets distribute fresh produce and other food items to low-income families after school. I watched as a girl went through the line with on older woman, presumably her grandmother.

Maybe it was the bright purple knit stocking cap. Or the backpack that was so big it threatened to topple her backwards. Or maybe it was her scuffed boots, too big I think, that had red ladybugs all over them. Whatever it was that caught my eye, the image of the young girl with her grandmother has stayed with me. I watched as the girl made her way through the selection at the Healthy Kids Market. I watched as she tried to choose from tomatoes, potatoes, rice and oranges. And I continued to watch as she deliberately and thoughtfully settled on the oranges, and then slowly, carefully placed seven oranges into her nylon bag.

When she was done, she took her grandmother's hand, carefully cradling the oranges on her other side, walked out of the makeshift market into the school hallway and through the doors and out into the January cold. It was a snapshot of what takes place all over Chicago nearly every day of the year. By offering healthy choices, we provide nourishment—and hope.

Read more about our children's programs here.

Nourishing our future: Congress faces critical step after Thanksgiving

Yesterday, I watched as a group of Kindergarten and first graders took turns reading aloud “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See?” The children, most of them students at Clinton Elementary school in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood, were eager to show off their reading skills and kept raising their hands for a turn, squealing “teacher, teacher!” Except it wasn’t a teacher who was reading with them—it was Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (in photo, left) who had come out to visit a Kids Cafe to better understand the reality of hunger in America, a reality that unfolds every day in our own backyard.

Midway through the visit, the Congresswoman leaned over and told me that she had started her own schooling at Clinton. We watched as the children ate their meals and then turned their attention to homework and reading. We watched as the initial excitement of getting their food and milk cartons gave way to the focus and quiet of young minds concentrating.

When members of Congress return to Washington after the Thanksgiving break, they will have many important decisions awaiting them. One of the biggest is the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, which provides funding for school breakfasts, school lunches and programs like the Kids Cafe in the West Ridge. The latest statistics released by the USDA are stunning: There are now 17 million children in our nation who are food insecure. Stated differently, 1 out of 4 children in America is at risk of hunger. Passing the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is a critical step to making sure that all of America’s children have access to food.

This Thanksgiving, I will think about standing in a Kids Cafe, watching 35 of those 17 million children. And I will hope that our country’s leaders will come back from break and pass the Child Nutrition Reauthorization and ensure that food flows out to communities like this. If children have access to nutritious food, they are more likely to be strong readers and successful students. They are more likely to move on from reading “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” to more challenging work, eventually graduating, perhaps going on to college and being well-prepared for the workforce. Who knows—maybe some of these children will even go on, someday, to be members of Congress.