SOUTH SHORE — Five hundred food boxes with fresh produce, non-perishable goods and proteins will be available starting 11 a.m. Friday at the Quarry Event Center in South Shore.
The distribution program is one of the new pop-up food pantries backed by the Greater Chicago Food Depository. As part of it, free food will be available at the Quarry, 2423 E. 75th St., every Friday for the next six weeks.
“Many of the Black and Brown communities on the South and West sides have been disproportionally affected by COVID,” said Food Depository spokesman Greg Trotter. “Even before COVID, they were disproportionally affected by food insecurity. This program can help fill those gaps in food and service.”
Each household will also receive five protective masks, and temperature checks will be offered on-site.
Friday’s food boxes are first-come, first-served. Tips for staying safe during the pandemic are included, as is a recipe for a caramelized onion and cabbage dish.
“In our community, sometimes people will cook the nutrition out of a vegetable,” said Yvette Moyo, Real Men Charities founder. “Since we can’t cook and serve [the meal], we decided to put recipes in each bag.”
In addition to Real Men Charities — which owns the Quarry — neighborhood groups South Shore Works, Notarized, Inc. and the Hood Hope Movement are helping distribute the boxes.
“We’re hoping to build lasting partnerships with these organizations in these communities well beyond” the pandemic, Trotter said.
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