Chick-fil-A turns surplus food into 8,500 meals for Chicagoans in need

Chick-fil-A turns surplus food into 8,500 meals for Chicagoans in need

Chick-fil-A’s Chicago restaurants are donating thousands of surplus meals to local food banks as part of a broader initiative to address food insecurity in the city.

CHICAGO - This summer, Fox 32 Chicago is partnering with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Old National Bank to address food insecurity in the city. Chick-fil-A is on a similar mission.

Through their Shared Table program, Chicago-area locations donate surplus food to local food banks. 

"For me the goal is to run a successful business but also make an impact in the community," said Kareem Edwards, owner and operator of the Chick-fil-A in the South Loop.

"Our intention is to make sure we serve our guests hot, fresh food. We have different systems in place to make sure that happens. But throughout the day we gather surplus food, and we allocate it to the food pantry at St. James Catholic Church," Edwards said.

The process:

Kenya Salgado is the catering manager at the Chick-fil-A location in the South Loop. She explains exactly how the process works. 

"When we drop food in the fryer, it must be sold within 20 minutes. If that doesn’t happen, we take the fillets, spicy strips and nuggets and place them in a bucket. At the end of each shift, that food is set aside for donations and then frozen," Salgado said.

That food is then picked up by a driver from the St. James Catholic Church food pantry. Since this program started, it’s resulted in over 8,500 meals.

"This partnership has enhanced our choice selections," said Catherine Moore, director of the St. James food pantry. "Every client doesn't cook and some of the food donated by Chick-fil-A is pre-cooked, which is great and wonderful, especially for those who are unhoused, those who are in transitional housing or those who are just homebound."

"We all have a role in serving Chicago"

What they're saying:

The food pantry at St. James serves over 2,000 clients each month. Instead of just handing a bag of prepared food to each client, they let them choose what they want to leave with.  

"We felt that was really important," said Moore. "One, it's because it keeps down waste because clients don't always like what you put in a bag and they shouldn't have to like it because they need help. But secondly, it helps restore dignity and it shows we care and love a person. I have been the client, I have been homeless, and I know what the help did for me. Might not have known it then, but I know it now. So I feel it's my mission, it's my responsibility to help those and to reach back. So that's one of the reasons this is more than a job to me. This is a passion for me. This is a calling for me."

Chick-fil-A recently announced that all 60 of their Chicago area restaurants are participating in the shared table program.

"I think we all have a role in serving Chicago," Edwards said. "As restauranteurs, our role is helping with food hunger. I think the more that people know about this program, the more they can see if they want to partner with those local food banks or even with Chick-fil-A on how we serve the community. "There's power in numbers. So the more people who know about that impact that we have, hopefully they can join and serve with us."