Man-Yee Lee, spokeswoman for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, estimates the total price behind the effort at somewhere in the millions of dollars. “We’re covering this expense mainly through donations. However, this response requires a combination of public funding and private philanthropy and we are currently actively pursuing to secure both.”
Bringing in a team to cater to the specific tastes of the newly arrived population, Waller says his company created a new menu to provide meals seven days a week. Migrants are currently getting their meals through two locations on the North and West sides.
Waller connected with the food bank by way of networking through business development incubator The Hatchery Chicago.
“They were one of the first people that we thought of because of the commitment that (Waller) has to the local community and to creating jobs and opportunities for historically disinvested communities and neighborhoods that really fit into the bigger goals of the food depository,” said Lee.
The catering company has also served staff meals to the food bank, fostering a relationship that would eventually grow to tackle a bigger problem.
“Food people find food people,” said Waller.
Other partners the food bank has teamed up with for the effort, which began last September, include Chi-Care, Food Hero, Nuevo Leon and Los Comales. Lee emphasized that the effort does not take away from existing hunger relief programs the organization provides.
“We believe that food is a basic human right. It’s as simple as that,” said Lee.
“Everyone in our community, whether you were born here, whether you’re a longtime neighbor, or whether you are newly arrived from other parts of the world, everyone deserves access to quality, nutritious food in order to survive. That is what we believe,” Lee added.
The number of arrivals in the state has totaled more than 13,000 since last year, according to a letter recently penned by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security asking for expedited work authorizations for asylum-seekers.
The Chicago City Council approved $51 million to cover the migrant response through June, while the state has allocated $200 million and the federal government has provided $21 million million to the city to aid asylum-seekers.
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