Greater Chicago Food Depository

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Last year, the Food Depository distributed 66 million pounds of nonperishable food and fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 135,000 meals every day.

Innovative training programs and initiatives developed by the Food Depository also work to provide men, women and children with the tools necessary to break their individual cycles of poverty.

What Volunteers Do

Food Repacking: Opportunities include repacking bulk products to individual/family sizes, assembling boxes with assorted food, checking expiration dates and labeling and gleaning products. The Food Depository can accommodate individual volunteers and large groups during repack sessions. We offer sessions Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Loading Dock: The Food Depository ships more than 150,000 pounds of food every day. Volunteers are needed weekday morning hours to help load trucks on the shipping dock. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and able to lift up to 50 pounds.

Restrictions

Volunteers must wear long pants and close-toed shoes. Jeans and sneakers are best. No volunteers may enter the warehouse in open-toed shoes, shorts or short skirts. Age restrictions are as follows:

Ages 16+: No restrictions.
Ages 13-15: one adult supervisor required per four youths.
Ages 5-12: may volunteer during Kids Days only.

What To Bring

We encourage each volunteer to bring an item of nonperishable food. The most needed items are cereal, quick oats, pancake mix, canned vegetables, soup, stew, tuna, canned fruit, rice, beans, peanut butter, jelly, mac ‘n’ cheese, pasta, pasta sauce, and personal care items such as laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, and toothpaste.

Directions To Each Site

All repacking sessions take place at the Greater Chicago Food Depository warehouse at 4100 West Ann Lurie Place, 60632.

Additional Information

On weekday morning and afternoon sessions there is non-metered, non-permit parking surrounding the building on side streets, Karlov and Keeler. Our parking lot will be available for Wednesday evening and Saturday sessions.

Volunteers can sign up for events directly from the Greater Chicago Food Depository calendar, located here.

Contact Information

For more info, contact:
Maya Garcia-Grigoroaia
Volunteer Services
773-843-6801
mgarcia@gcfd.org