The Greater Chicago Food Depository revealed its updated timeline to begin construction on an exciting new meal preparation kitchen this summer. Plans to break ground on the 36,700-square-foot facility expansion were paused in 2020 as the Food Depository’s focus shifted to pandemic response. The $53 million project includes the construction of a new commercial meal preparation kitchen and nutrition education center, an expansion of the Food Depository’s prepared meals programs and more parking for its volunteers, guests, and fleet of delivery trucks. The meal-prep kitchen will be built to the immediate west of the nonprofit’s existing warehouse and offices in Archer Heights on Chicago’s Southwest Side and is anticipated to be fully operational in late 2023. The nutritious, high-quality meals will be distributed to feed some of Chicago’s most at-risk populations including older adults, people with disabilities, and patients with chronic health conditions in need of medically tailored meals.

Producing ready-made meals is one of the ways the Food Depository works to address the root causes of hunger. Just as the number of people experiencing food insecurity increased during the pandemic, so did demand for prepared meals. Many individuals are facing hunger because they are unable to cook for themselves or are in need of medically-tailored meals. The Food Depository will also be doing its part to support local, minority and women-owned businesses and organizations by investing directly in historically marginalized communities impacted by generations of systemic inequities. The Plan to build the meal preparation facility was first announced in 2019 and marks Phase II of the Food Depository’s Nourish Project. The project addresses the root causes of hunger by increasing the availability of healthy food in high-need areas and striving to create equitable communities. Learn more at chicagosfoodbank.org

Photo Credit: The Food Depository