Greetings!

Even as we share regular updates about our work, I’m still processing the scope and gravity of what we’ve seen since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The need for food assistance continues to rise with each job lost and unemployment application filed, and at Nourishing Hope, we’re now serving more than 6,000 individuals a week across all programs and throughout all Chicago neighborhoods.

Your efforts have truly made it possible to connect our neighbors with the food and social services they need during this time. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone who has donated, volunteered, dropped off canned goods, forwarded an email or shared a post about our work. Every bit inspires us and motivates us each day. Check out our graphic below to learn more about our COVID-19 response by the numbers.

I’m proud of Chicago, and I’m so proud of our community coming together during this time. We could all use a little inspiration right now, so we wanted to shine a light on some of the wonderful people and organizations who have supported Nourishing Hope during the COVID-19 outbreak:

In-Kind Donors

Thank you so much to those who donated food, goods or other services like fork lift drivers, trucks, and signs during this time! We could not have scaled up so quickly to meet the need without your support. Below we’ve listed just a few, but a full list can be found here.

  • American Red Cross of Chicago
  • Ankin Law
  • Aldi
  • Bishop Image Group
  • Catholic Charities
  • Chicago Cares
  • Chicago Cubs
  • Conagra Brands
  • CORE Industrial Partners
  • Costco
  • DSC Logistics
  • Fig Media
  • Fortune Fish & Gourmet (driver: Juan)
  • FROST Chicago (drivers: Eddie, Danny, Jonny and Marcus)
  • Genesis Technologies
  • Good Foods
  • Greater Chicago Food Depository
  • Imperfect Foods
  • In Sight Sign Company
  • Jasculca Terman
  • Jewel-Osco
  • Keely Design
  • Koval
  • Lenovo
  • Lifeway Foods
  • Pepsico-Quaker
  • Plum Market
  • Trader Joe’s
  • Tyson Foods
  • Whole Foods
Financial Supporters

We’re incredibly grateful to the thousands of individual donors who have supported us in this time of need. We’re so thankful to have you in our circle of friends. I can honestly say, without your donations, we would not have the ability to move forward and get people the food they need to stay nourished and healthy during this crisis and beyond. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In addition to our dedicated individual donors, we’ve seen many corporations and foundations ready and willing to lend us a hand during this public health and economic crisis. Whether a one-time gift or a yearly donation, we’ve been lucky enough to have hundreds of organizations financially support us. We’ve included just a few of these below.

  • Bank of America
  • Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation
  • Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund
  • Chicago Community Trust
  • Chicago Tribune Charities
  • Conagra Brands
  • CTC Holdings
  • Derivative Path
  • DRW Holdings
  • Foles Believe Foundation
  • Health Care Service Corporation
  • Helen V. Brach Foundation
  • IMC
  • Irvin Stern Foundation
  • Kiphart Family Foundation
  • Kirkland & Ellis LLP
  • Lavin Family Foundation
  • LinkedIn Corporation
  • Shopcore
  • The Seabury Foundation
  • The Thierer Family Foundation
  • United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

How to Continue to Support Our Work

Unfortunately, we’re a long way from seeing the end of the pandemic’s effects on our city and this crisis is highlighting the fact that while we are all in the same storm together, we are not all in the same boat. The trauma and economic impact of this crisis disproportionately impacts and exacerbates the racial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in our communities.

We plan to continue our critical COVID-19 response in the community for as long as necessary and we still need your help to feed those in need:

  • Donate: We have a critical and ongoing need for financial contributions to keep our neighbors healthy and fed. Every $1 provides 8 meals – click here to make a gift now! For more information, contact Kathryn Lyons, Chief Development Officer, at kathryn@lakeviewpantry.org.
  • Volunteer: As we anticipate the need for food increasing in the coming weeks, we will need the help of healthy volunteers to help us pack groceries, sort food, and other essential tasks for our most vulnerable communities. Currently, all volunteer orientation sessions are being held virtually. New volunteers should email volunteers@lakeviewpantry.org to receive a video orientation link and steps to become an active Nourishing Hope volunteer. Existing volunteers should continue to follow standard procedures to sign up for shifts.
  • In-kind contributions: Donating food to help stock our shelves will be essential. Many food donations from our grocery partners have sharply declined, and our supply costs are likely to increase. Our most-needed items this week are listed below. Large cases of shelf stable items, like those available at Costco, are especially valuable to us. For more information on in-kind donations, please contact Bill Thomas, Chief Operating Officer, at bill@lakeviewpantry.org.
    • Cases of peanut butter
    • Cases of canned tuna
    • Cases of canned vegetables
    • Cases of canned fruit
    • Cases of canned beans

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support during this time of uncertainty. Follow us on social media for the latest from Nourishing Hope and updates from the front lines of the fight against hunger: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

With gratitude,
Kellie O’Connell
Chief Executive Officer, Nourishing Hope