We come together every holiday season to enjoy the company of our family and friends and create memories.
These special moments are often centered around a meal, shared among loved ones to savor the moments that make life special. Food means love no matter our culture, color or status. For all of us, food plays an important role in the holiday season.
One of the most special things about Chicago is the city’s rich diversity, celebrated throughout our neighborhoods. The foods we enjoy during the holiday season reflect this. We honor the traditions that we grew up with, the traditions that we share with new guests and the traditions we pick up along the way and make our own.
Food is almost always at the center of our traditions.
However we celebrate these traditions, we can almost always find food at the center of them. That’s why we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to come together and enjoy a meal, share smiles and laughter, and cherish the people who make our community feel like home.
No one should have to make sacrifices or stress about putting food on the table – especially during the holiday season.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository and our network of food pantries and programs are here to provide free food for anyone who needs it, so that you don’t have to choose between a holiday meal or keeping the house warm. With over 800 sites across Chicago and Cook County, help is all around, and finding a location is easy, using our find food map.
A community member picking out food at a pantry in our network.
As you prepare for the holiday season, remember that these local food pantries and programs provide a variety of food and ingredients to help make this season merry and bright.
You can also take inspiration from our library of recipes, which includes easy-to-prepare meals using fresh ingredients commonly found at our food distributions. A black bean and corn salsa, for example, is a great side to complement a meal, and a chickpea and chard soup will warm you up during a cold Chicago winter.
A family selecting nutritious food to enjoy together.
No matter how you’re celebrating, we are here to help you create joyful memories this season and ensure our Chicago neighbors have the food support they need to make this holiday, and every holiday, a special one.
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