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Rueben Collier, 59, has been recovering from a knee injury since 2022. Running to catch a bus, he stopped short when a car swerved in front of him. He avoided being hit, but tore a major tendon and ligaments in his leg. Due to his injury, Collier lost his job and had to endure 10 months of painful physical therapy. He’s still out of work. But on a sunny, October day at Sheridan Market, Collier was all smiles.
What’s kept him going through the past few years of challenges? Collier chuckled and said, “Chess. It takes my mind off of a lot of things, a lot of the pain.”
At age nine, Collier’s uncle Lloyd taught him how to play chess. Collier’s eyes light up when he talks about the game. He was the first freshman ever to compete on the varsity chess team at George Henry Corliss High School. He still plays to this day. Collier has a small community of fellow chess players who meet up at cafes, libraries and McDonald’s locations.
In addition to his chess club and regular exercises for his knee, Collier attributes Nourishing Hope’s fresh groceries to helping with his recovery.
“There’s a nice array of offerings. Y’all touch on pretty much the whole food spectrum: vegetables, protein – beef, pork, chicken.” he said.
Fresh fruits and vegetables inside a box of produce at Sheridan Market.
Chili and spaghetti are among Collier’s favorite meals to prepare. He claims not to be an expert on meats and proteins, but he’s about as close as you can get. Collier worked at Chicago Meat Authority until his knee was injured. He was responsible for meat packing, separating, repacking, weighing and packaging.
When asked if he has a favorite holiday recipe that he likes to make, Collier thought for a moment.
“Y’all have chickens and other meats at Thanksgiving time, which is nice for me. I prefer chicken over turkey for holidays. Unless it’s smoked turkey, now that has a good flavor,” he said.
Rueben Collier poses outside of Sheridan Market with his selected shelf-stable items.
Collier first visited Nourishing Hope, then Lakeview Pantry, in 2018 as he was getting settled into a subsidized apartment in Uptown. He’s no stranger to hard times. Before being placed in an affordable housing unit, Collier had been laid off. He was unhoused and staying with a cousin – one of few family members who still live in Chicago. Collier’s children live out of state, though they keep in touch.
“I was on a waitlist. They finally called me for subsidized housing. It felt great to get that call,” Collier said. He’s one of the lucky ones. The Chicago Housing Authority’s estimated wait time for public housing ranges from six months to 25 years, depending on the unit that a resident is applying for.
Nourishing Hope has a new full time housing case manager, Susan Cardone, to assist neighbors in securing housing. Cardone navigates the process of finding housing through CHA, the city of Chicago and through other non-profit organizations.
Collier had to move across the city to secure his apartment in Uptown. He was living off of 87th Street. It was a big move, but worth it for him to have housing again, he said.
Collier isn’t sure how he would have managed healing from his injury if he were still unhoused. He choked up and cleared his throat before saying, “Getting hurt, that was the worst part of that year.”
Despite the emotional and physical traumas he’s experienced, Collier is looking forward to the future. Just as he exercises his mind with the game of chess, he keeps up with his stretches to exercise his knee. “You gotta keep it moving, go to your physical therapy – it’ll pull you down if you let it. Especially when you’re used to being active and you run into a bump like that,” he said.
Rueben Collier waits to receive a flier on social service offerings at Nourishing Hope.
Collier wants to get back to work, possibly in the meat industry again – it’s what he knows best. His knee’s health remains a concern. Collier worries about reinjuring his knee if he returns to a physically demanding job.
“I haven’t talked to y’all about help finding work, but I’d like to. I’m ready to start looking again,” he said.
Staff at Sheridan Market gave Collier information on how to connect with the social services team at Nourishing Hope. There are three easy ways to connect: make an appointment by email, [email protected]; schedule an appointment over the phone, 773-525-1777 ext. 300; or come visit on Monday and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. for a walk-in session. El Mercadito also has walk-in hours on Mondays from noon – 3 p.m.
Thankful for the information, Collier shared once more how friendly the staff and volunteers are. He said, “It’s good, friendly people here at Nourishing Hope. It’s a nice experience with cordial people helping you out.”
Nourishing Hope’s team of seven case managers can assist with resume building, searching for job opportunities, interview preparation and more. Whenever Collier’s ready to start searching, Nourishing Hope’s social services team will be there to help out.
(All photos by Alyssa Schukar for Nourishing Hope.)