“One City, 50 Wards: Does the City That Works Really Work?“, a joint series from Crain’s Chicago Business and the University of Chicago Center for Effective Government, explores the connections between how Chicago’s city government is designed, how it functions, and how it performs. You can learn more and read other articles from the series here.
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By: Dion Dawson
Chicago’s new mayor leads a city where one in five households are never sure where their next meal is coming from.
The solution to this kind of food insecurity is usually framed in terms of food pantries and soup kitchens. But take it from me — a Black Chicago native who has been homeless and hungry, both as a child in Englewood and as a Navy veteran: That’s not the real solution.
Instead, Chicago’s goal should be making sure that every resident can always count on getting the healthy food they need to thrive.
Ending food insecurity requires consistency, communication and commitment, along with equitable approaches and innovation. To see why, picture yourself getting off work, grabbing the bus and barely making it to the food pantry before closing, and finding slim pickings. Imagine walking home on dangerous streets after dark, wondering how you’ll get to the food pantry after your work schedule changes next week.
Consistency
Now imagine instead that you can count on regular free deliveries of high-quality, nutritious food. That’s the model we decided to implement at Dion’s Chicago Dream: Every week, we deliver boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables to households in need across Chicago.
People can’t lead good lives without good food. I see access to healthy food as a human right. But even if you don’t, you can understand that people are more likely to be productive, contributing citizens if they consistently eat nutritious food without worrying where their next meal is coming from.
Communication
Dion’s Chicago Dream contacts each of our recipients every 15 days seeking feedback. We learn and improve constantly. For example, 70% of recipients didn’t like pamphlets cluttering their produce boxes. So, in partnership with the American Diabetes Association, we now offer recipes through a QR code printed on our boxes.
Perhaps because of privacy concerns, food programs don’t tend to keep in touch with recipients. But to end food insecurity, Chicago must know exactly who’s going hungry and whether food-security efforts are working. Communication needs to flow to the city from the people being served, and vice versa.
Commitment
There’s no quick fix for food insecurity. It requires commitment to, say, a three- to five-year plan with regular reporting requirements and milestones. If progress isn’t clear after a year or two, it’s time to rethink and try again.
Another kind of commitment could easily fund Chicago’s campaign for food security: a financial commitment from food companies with headquarters or major operations in our city.
Equity
When I look at executives of major food-related nonprofits, I don’t see many who look like me. And talk about symbolism: The lone Black person among founders of the Greater Chicago Food Depository — which distributes food to pantries across the city — lies in an unmarked grave.
People of color live with higher rates of food insecurity and must be a bigger part of the solution. Established organizations can partner with nonprofits, growers and other organizations led by people of color, thus addressing underlying causes of food insecurity by supporting jobs and reliable revenue streams in disadvantaged communities.
Innovation
When the food pantry model first took hold decades ago, the perception of hungry people obviously didn’t include smartphones. But in three years, Dion’s Chicago Dream has grown from zero to providing half a million pounds of fresh produce largely via social media accessed via smartphones. QR codes, data collection, tracking — all these technologies help us better serve our recipients.
Social media, artificial intelligence, drones — Chicago needs to keep up. Fortunately, we have excellent colleges, universities and companies that understand where tech is going and can apply their expertise.
Within Chicago government, we need champions who truly believe in ending food insecurity. They could advance this goal through a City Council subcommittee or an executive branch office — or both.
Here are their marching orders: Figure out exactly who needs help, establish a regular cadence of service and communication, and track metrics to monitor progress or lack thereof. Tap local companies and schools for funding and tech expertise. Don’t stop until every Chicago resident has consistent access to the nutritious food they need to thrive.
Dion Dawson founded Dion’s Chicago Dream, which delivers weekly boxes of produce to hundreds of households.