Officials from the City of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository announced the launch of Forward Together: A Roadmap to Reduce Food Insecurity across the City of Chicago, which builds upon existing resources to increase access of nutritious food for households in need while exploring new solutions to reduce hunger and underlying poverty. The plan was unveiled Tuesday at the Chicago Public Library Douglass Branch in North Lawndale – the site of the Food Depository’s newest program collaboration with the City of Chicago. Access to healthy food during the early stages of a child’s health and development is critical for their long term potential. The Healthy Student Market at the Douglass Branch library is a ground breaking approach that will help mitigate childhood poverty and food insecurity. The plan will be implemented by a steering committee of nine City agencies – including DFSS, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago Park District, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Police Department and the Mayor’s Office on People with Disabilities as well as staff of the Food Depository and other community based organizations. While the initial steps focus on providing food and nutrition support for families enrolled in youth programming, the steering committee will explore additional actions to remove barriers between food insecure residents and nutritious food. More information can be found in the full report Forward Together: A Roadmap to Reduce Food Insecurity across the City of Chicago, available on the Food Depository’s website at chicagosfoodbank.org/roadmap.