$121,000 to help feed people in Northern Illinois!

Care for Friends

This group provides fundamental food, clothing and healthcare programs for individuals in Chicago experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Their “no questions asked” policy removes the most common barriers to assistance and connect service providers to those in need. The grant they receive will continue the build out of a new community center kitchen in their new headquarters in Lincoln Park in 2026.

Carlson Community Services

Carlson Community Services is a community-focused 501c3 non-profit located on the northwest side of Chicago.  The mission of Carlson is to connect the Irving Park Community with programs that enhance lives through education, culture and service. Grant funds will be spent to rebuild garden beds in Three Brothers Garden after over 15 years of production to increase yields.

Deborah’s Place

Deborah’s Place is dedicated to ending homelessness for single, unaccompanied women in Chicago. In both our Teresa’s Interim Housing program and Dolores’ Safe Haven program, we provide three nutritious, hot meals a day. These meals not only address food insecurity but foster a sense of community that ultimately helps the women we serve move on from the experience of homelessness. The hot meals program is essential to participants’ stability, healing, and transition to permanent housing.

DeKalb County Community Gardens DBA Rooted For Good

This organization was selected as lead agency for the DeKalb County Local Food Purchase Assistance program, and that grant supports local socially disadvantaged farmers and provides fresh produce, protein, and dairy to neighbors who are food insecure. They purchase more than 3,000 pounds of frozen meat each month for this program, and due to the strictures of the LFPA grant, they cannot purchase enough storage space to support the program. The CHIditarod infrastructure grant will contribute to the purchase of a refrigerated box truck to facilitate food pickups and delivery.

Dignity Diner

The Dignity Diner provides weekly meal services, and in 2022 began a community garden to
provide fresh produce to guests. Dignity Diner plans to use its CHIditarod grant to ensure that they can continue serving their guests hot meals every week as the client list has doubled since 2023 and food prices in Chicago have risen more than 3%.

District 214 Education Foundation

The District 214 Education Foundation supports students and families in the northwest Chicago suburbs through school and throughout life by strengthening education, fostering well-being, and expanding opportunities. We believe strong schools build strong communities, but also believe in the power of community relationships and partnerships to ensure that learners within our schools are prepared for college, career, and life success. The Foundation works to secure and pair funding and resources with needs, continually evaluating the needs within District 214 schools and the evolving priorities within education. Chiditarod grant funds will go to opening and supporting food pantries housed in each of the District’s seven high schools.

Eden Greens Urban Farm

This organization nourishes Chicago’s South side neighborhoods by means of education when possible, and actual food donations where necessary. They work to grow hydroponic foods and educate community members on how to do the same. Having land to grow food is a privilege in this economy- but having access to fresh food should be a right. Chiditarod grant funds will go to building a fence around newly acquired land via Chicago Block Builder to begin a new urban garden in Englewood.

Edward G. Irvin Foundation

The Edwin G. Irvin Foundation will use Chiditarod grant funding to continue operating The Woodlawn Project, a twice-weekly food pantry serving Chicago’s South Side. The pantry distributes fresh produce, lean proteins, and shelf-stable items to food-insecure families, seniors, and individuals. The project also provides nutrition education to encourage healthy eating habits and improve long-term community health outcomes.

Experimental Station

Located in the Woodlawn community on Chicago’s south side, this organization builds independent cultural infrastructure by providing resources that respond to local needs. Their 61st Street Farmers Market has been open since 2008 and works to build a healthy food culture in the community. Each year, the market provides hands-on food and gardening education to nearly 300 local youth and free garden plots to senior and adult residents of the Jackson Park Terrace affordable housing community. This grant will support chef demos, produce giveaways, DHS visits and cooking supplies for youth cooking classes.

Faith Feeds

Faith Feeds provides food to underserved individuals in the NW Suburbs of Cook County. They provide a healthy food choice at their Pantry in Palatine and our Pantry on Wheels, bringing food monthly to five apartment communities. Faith Feeds fosters a sense of community in a social setting during the distribution, allowing us to reach people with limited mobility. They prioritize geographic areas of need based on the results from the Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) and feedback from local school districts and agency partners. The organization provides food to 7,000+ individuals’ monthly, plus cleaning and COVID-19 supplies upon request. Faith Feeds partners with Partners for Our Communities (POC) to connect clients with case management services for other resources such as SNAP, Medicaid, mental health, primary medical home, immigration, and financial and rent assistance. The Chiditarod Foundation’s support will help fund the healthy and culturally sensitive foods to marginalized individuals and families while maintaining their dignity.

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance

The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance has many seasoned community gardeners whose years of experience could benefit aspiring gardeners, and in 2023 began piloting a new Train the Trainer program to help local gardeners deepen their skill set and learn to teach others at the Conservatory or community garden sites. In 2025, GPCA will host another cohort of students and returning participants, and the funds from CHIditarod will help purchase supplies for that program.

Green City Market

At Green City Market, when SNAP users spend $25 of SNAP benefits, GCM (and CHIditarod) provides an additional $50, tripling the purchasing power of Chicagoans facing food insecurity. One in seven households in Cook County grapples with food insecurity, and government nutrition assistance in Illinois is on the chopping block as soon as November 2025.

Hamdard Health Alliance

This organization, serving families in Cook and DuPage Counties, has a mission to positively impact the health and well-being of individuals and families by delivering culturally responsive health care services. Their Adult Day Services, Food Rx Pantry program, Care Coordination, and Insurance Navigation program give individuals of all ages the knowledge and resources to actively participate in their own care. The Food Rx program allows patients living with food insecurity to get a food prescription from their provider to visit the Addison food pantry. The CHIditarod grant will help them purchase proper storage units to maintain the freshness of perishable food items for the community after they were forced to use last year’s grant to purchase food as prices rise.

JOURNEYS | The Road Home

This nonprofit provides both shelter and social services to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness in north/northwest suburban Cook County. As part of their services they operate a comprehensive Food Assistance Program out of their walk-in social service and counseling center. This year’s grant will contribute to the purchase of a 15-passenger van to better facilitate food delivery and client pick ups.

Outreach Inc.

This organization plans a 50,000-meal “Meals for the Holidays” packaging event for Dec. 13th, 2025, at Oaklawn-Hometown Middle School, attended by hundreds of volunteers.  This will be their 111th collaboration with OLHMS, with whom we have packaged and distributed nearly 350,000 nutritious meals to those struggling with financial and nutritional challenges.  The Pasta Basil Tomato Sauce meals will be distributed just in time for the holidays to neighbors in need in the adjacent communities.

Social Change

Social Change empowers individuals and communities by providing direct services and driving policy change that addresses urgent needs, removes systemic barriers, and creates real pathways to self-sufficiency. Over the years, they have established a range of programs and initiatives to support these goals, from health clinics and legal assistance to free farmers markets and civic engagement efforts. The Englewood Community Farm, utilizing funding from the Chiditarod Foundation, will turn an empty lot into a thriving urban farm, using regenerative practices to grow fresh produce, teach sustainable farming, and promote healthy eating. Through hands-on workshops, youth and residents will learn to grow food at home and prepare simple, nutritious meals. The farm will also provide free produce to families in need.

The Outreach House

The Outreach House provides compassionate and effective assistance to individuals and families in the York Township area with dignity and without judgment. Their four programs are First Things First, Food Pantry, Clothes Closet and Walk-in Assistance. Guests can visit the food pantry, set up like a small grocery store, once a week, and choose the food they need for their families. The 2025 grant will support their Food Pantry serving an average of 500 households each week with nutritious food, including fresh produce, protein, dairy and non-perishable staples.

Plant Chicago

Plant Chicago’s mission is to cultivate local circular economies. Their primary program activities include education, food access, waste diversion and small business support. Plant Chicago operates out of a former firehouse on the Southwest Side of Chicago that is being converted into a hub for local circular economy. With income insecurity and threats of public assistance cuts, the surrounding community faces challenges to access healthier food options such as farm fresh produce and locally made products. Plant Chicago supports families to access local food resources and learn different ways of using produce. They will offer 20 multi-generational cooking classes in a year for children, teens, adults, and families and provide generous incentives for the purchase of local produce.

Star Farm Chicago

Star Farm Chicago is a transformative urban farm and sustainable food hub catalyzing food and farm initiatives that work to co-create a resilient local food system through access, opportunity, development, and celebration. Star Farm mainly serves the community of Back of the Yards, which experiences the highest levels of hardship of disinvestment. It is predominantly composed of African-American and Mexican-American residents, who represent 93% of the population. The neighborhood faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with a poverty rate of 34%, notably higher than the citywide average of 19%.

Wellness for Everyone

Wellness4Every1 is a nonprofit organization committed to providing equitable access to arts and wellness programming for students in underserved communities. Founded in 2016 in response to the elimination of these programs in Chicago Public Schools, they now serve over 20,000 students across 150 schools in Chicago, Boston, Connecticut, Denver, New Jersey, and New York. Through movement-based residencies—including dance, yoga, boxing, and sports—they integrate mindfulness, goal setting, and social-emotional learning, alongside STEM activities like LEGO building and slime-making. Our holistic approach fosters physical health, emotional well-being, and academic engagement. By expanding the definition of health to include creativity, movement, and community, they are helping build healthier, more equitable futures for all students. The “Food is Medicine” workshop is a collaborative effort designed to promote healthy eating, cultural appreciation, and mindful food choices in school communities. This initiative will bring together students and their families through interactive cooking demonstrations, classes and nutrition education.