Food Aid 2023: A Music Festival To Combat Food Insecurity

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Food insecurity is a pandemic that continues to impact communities across the country. Unity Fridges is a sharing initiative aiming to reduce food insecurity and food waste, while building a stronger community. By partnering with local stakeholders, we seek to provide healthy food through the installation of community fridges (public refrigerators) throughout Oak Park that are used to share food and ideas at a village level. 

Beyond Hunger provides hunger-relief programming and services to 13 zip codes across Cook County, including portions of Chicago and its near-west Suburbs.  Their service offerings seek to provide the food, resources, knowledge, and skills people need to live healthy, active lives. 

A not-for-profit organization serving families on the west side of Chicago. Empowering Parents to shape their children's futures through nurturing support + education + parent-child music classes We believe every child, in every zip code, deserves high quality early learning experiences, a healthy family, and safe place to live.

The Austin Eats Initiative is a group of 20+ local agencies and efforts that have come together to sow and grow a healthier Austin. By strengthening the food access ecosystem, supporting culinary entrepreneurship and local community gardens, and by engaging residents about food through film screenings, Austin Eats is working to change the food landscape and rewrite the narrative around food in Austin.

Best of Proviso Township is a member-funded association that supports the Proviso and surrounding Communities through member involvement. The association plans to use our pool of talent, expertise and networking ability to model, mentor, monitor and motivate. As a group, we are looking to help our children with life long decisions as we keep them motivated throughout their journeys. We intend to model good citizenship, mentor the next generation and spotlight the positives in their lives and the lives of others; we will monitor growth and dispel negativity and low self worth. The Association will motivate this type of behavior so that it will become contagious and multiply.

Westchester Food Pantry is a subsidiary of Great Chicago Food Depository. The Westchester Food Pantry serves as a resource throughout the year for those who are hungry and food insecure.

As of June 30, the Pantry served 2,624 client households, or about 8,500 individuals in 2023. This represents a 40% increase over the same period last year, and it already exceeds the total client households served in 2019.  In May, 470 clients came through the Pantry’s doors to receive food, a new monthly high.

The Westchester Food Pantry is run entirely by volunteers, and relies entirely on donations to operate. Your support goes directly to serve our neighbors in need.