This op-ed written by Nourishing Hope CEO Kellie O’Connell was first was first published in the Chicago Tribune on Nov. 23, 2023. Click the link below to read the piece in its entirety.
Imagine being so hungry that you’d drink deeply from a gallon of milk before leaving the grocery store.
Many of us are fortunate enough to have never experienced that kind of visceral hunger. But I witnessed it recently at our Sheridan Market, Nourishing Hope’s bustling food pantry in the Lakeview neighborhood.
A young mother, new to our city from Venezuela, opened a jug of milk that she had just received and handed it to her son, who was about 5 years old. He drank for a few seconds before handing the milk to his older sister, who did the same.
That moment has resonated with me for weeks. As the CEO of Nourishing Hope, one of the largest and longest operating hunger relief organizations in Chicago, I’m here to tell you that it’s going to be a very hard winter for many thousands of families living in our city.