Meet Monica Moss, a passionate food justice advocate who now leads the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s board of directors.
Growing up in Virginia, Moss recalls family meals with seafood straight from the fishing boats, kale and peas from the garden, and fresh eggs from the chickens. The conversation was warm and nurturing; the food was bountiful. Moss wants that for everyone. At a time of immense hunger and political division, she envisions a table large enough for all. “I just fundamentally believe that about life: It’s meant to be shared,” said Moss, who was appointed to chair the Food Depository’s board of directors on July 1. “And it breaks my heart to think that there are people who can’t provide that in their households. I’m passionate about helping people have access.”Monica Moss, chair of the Food Depository's board of directors
How are you feeling right now?
It’s painfully unsettling. And I don’t quite know what we do with it. People keep talking about how we have to get back – I don’t think we need to get back, I think we need to go forward. And when I hear people say, this isn’t who we are as a nation, I say yes, it is who we are as a nation. It was just a very painful day to me. And it still is.What calls you to this mission of ending hunger?
Food is fundamental. Everybody needs food. What I think is unique about the Food Depository is we don’t just give food. We try to give people healthy, delicious, nutritious food. There’s so much that transpires around cooking food, preparing food and, of course, consuming food together. I was the beneficiary of that. Sitting down at the table with family, having discussions and learning and listening and being nosy as a kid. That’s a huge part of what kind of defines my life now, the idea of coming together and sharing a meal.Throughout our network, the pandemic has caused an unprecedented surge in need, which is still ongoing. What has that looked like from your perspective in Washington Heights?
I can’t say enough about the Food Depository’s response, the way we were able to very quickly realize that we were going to have to be very innovative in our approach. I think having the pop-up food distributions was brilliant. It helped us to not have the miles-long lines that we saw in other communities across the nation.Volunteers load boxes of food into a car trunk at a pop-up food distribution at Trinity United Church of Christ in May.
In the past couple of years, racial equity has become integral to our mission. Why do you feel it’s important for a food bank to focus on racial equity?
Especially in a big segregated city like Chicago, we know that the majority of people that we serve are Black and Brown people. We know that. It only makes sense that if we’re truly going to be invested in talking about racial equity, we also have to deal with the root causes of poverty that lead to hunger. I don’t see a way around it.The rise in food insecurity during the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black and Brown communities.
What you’re describing feels like a notable shift for the organization, from more of a transaction model of distribution to more of a partnership model. Is that how you see it?
Definitely. I also see us going from a food bank that delivers food to a social justice organization. We’re looking at root causes and how can we effectively respond to them. When we were doing the pop-up at our church, I couldn’t believe it. People showed up from around the city to help distribute that food. They came in all different colors and shapes, and we were cooperatively working together. What we’re seeing at the Food Depository is exactly the same.It’s not about just giving someone a bag of pinto beans. It’s about truly investing in one another and looking at it through the lens of social justice and equity.
What gives you hope at this moment in time, given all the national turmoil and the seemingly intractable challenges here in Chicago?
That’s a hard question this week. But in reference to the Food Depository, I’m very hopeful because I think we’re seeing something special transpire at the Food Depository as we are looking at how we’re responding to need. We are having to push ourselves to become more than we ever imagined that we could. We truly have become more than a food bank. We’re helping to empower communities. And I think that’s huge. What gives me hope is that most people are good, most people are reasonable, most people want the same things. They want safety. They need resources. I don’t think what happened in the nation’s capital is reflective of the vast majority of American people.A young man hoists a box of emergency food for his Washington Heights neighbors at a May distribution.
This is just a time. It’s not the end of anything. And it really can become the beginning of something if we’re smart enough and compassionate enough as people.