My job gave us a day off to come and volunteer @ The GCFD. This was a great opportunity to support…read moreand help out those in needs. Everyone was friendly, helpful and productive. We all worked hard as a team to accomplish our goal of feeding over 2,700 families. This place is outstanding. Very clean and organized. I enjoyed lending my time for such an amazing and precious organization. I look forward to volunteering here again.

Greater Chicago food depository is very disappointing, they stopped given donations to the Catholic…read moreorder of fraternite Norte dame missionaries in Chicago. They have been serving the poor and the homeless for about 28 years now. Because of religious discrimination. They said we don't like the religious nuns, this is sickening and shameful. More than 500 families lined up on Wednesday as usual to get their goods and it was very heart breaking to tell them we don't have anything to give you at this moment because the greater Chicago food stopped given us donations we were aware that they don't like religious nuns. We are looking forward to this matter. And the poor families said we will rise our voices. Against greater Chicago food depository. We will get to the root of this. It is the obligation of every human being fit stand for the poor. I'm sure God will come their rescue. I'm sorry for the one star, you will have all the five stars that are out there when you give back those families that come every week to be served at fraternite Norte dame food pantry.

Awesome service pantry is very neat clean food is good. The food is up-to-date. Sometimes most of…read morethe time I recommend this place to you.

They are very friendly, kind, helpful, and quick! They make the food pantry experience a pleasant…read moreone!

This is a food bank for the poor and in need and they accept volunteers all the time to help with…read morethe massive work of sorting donated food to be distributed to those in need. You can come on a weekend and work in their warehouse of food and sort the food by dates to make sure old food or opened packages don't get sent to those in need by mistake. Old food (that is close to the sell by date) is sent to the local zoos to help defray costs and waste.

From the owner: Our vision at Northern Illinois Food Bank is for everyone in Northern Illinois to have the food…read morethey need to thrive. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and proud member of Feeding America, we serve our neighbors in 13 counties with dignity, equity and convenience, providing 250,000 meals a day. We bring together manufacturers, local & corporate grocers, area farmers, corporations, foundations, and individuals who donate food and funding, and each week volunteers help us evaluate, repack, and distribute food. We also proudly partner with more than 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and youth & senior feeding programs to provide nutritious food & resources. Distribution centers are located in Geneva, Park City, Rockford and Joliet.

New location on Lincoln Avenue is big and beautiful. We dropped off food donations and were warmly…read moregreeted by volunteers. The operation appeared well staffed and very busy, which made my heart happy. Donations were being sorted and I was so impressed by the organization of tasks, volunteers and efficiency of the facility.

Common Pantry is the best pantry that I have received food from the director Ms. Margaret is very…read morenice and the volunteers are nice and friendly. Quick service great atmosphere I thank God for them they help a lot of people, please check them out they are very professional and helpful. I have spread the word to friends and family.

A great local Ravenswood / Lincoln Square organization helping to serve the underserved and hungry…read morein the area. By working with shipping volunteers (among others), shoppers are able to pick out food with dignity. I've only volunteered here once so far but I think they're doing some really good work. Sign up to volunteer via their website!

The Friendship Center is doing some good things for three community…read more I've always wanted to help out my neighbors by volunteering, and what a pleasure it has been to dedicate my time here. TFC treats all shoppers with dignity and respect and does it's best to provide a much-needed service to those in need. Operating in 4-hour increments, shoppers have the opportunity to pick out their choice of groceries from an assortment of items. Shopping volunteers guide them around the pantry and bag the items for the shoppers. Hot meals and delivery meals are also provided on occasion. I encourage anyone interested in volunteering to come by and help out. It could not be easier or more fun. I also encourage anyone in need to check to the website to see if they qualify.

Love the staff members. Appreciate the service and quality of foods given!…read morePeace & B Great!!!!

Awesome service by awesome people Best food bank…read moreever!!!!!!! They are awesome to me. I believe they saved lives during Covid. I know they helped out my family ..thank you!!!!

Great pantry. Very friendly. I only had one experience where one of the people was rude to me. I…read moretook one of the shopping carts to my car in front of the building to load my car. They let me do so and asked me to bring the cart back. When I did I didn't know where exactly to put it so I left in in the building near the front inside the hallway. So one day I called with a question and the person who answered the phone snapped at me and snapped at me calling me the lady who stole the cart. I tried telling her about me putting it in the building and she told me it was all my fault and now they are short 1 cart. Furthermore she told me not to return again. Offensive and ignorant person. Shouldn't even be working there. If she was working at a regular business she would be fired in a heartbeat.

From the owner: Food Pantry in NW Chicago, specializing in the provision of humanitarian services to the less…read moreprivileged in families in Chicago Illinois. Our mission is to raise funds for the poor. Our customers are largely families classified as the working poor, people who although they are working, their income is insufficient to adequately provide for housing, transportation, medical needs and proper nutrition. We strive to build a better future for them. Our charity organizations: The pantry is a licensed and fully vetted company by law, with a proven track record of meeting the needs of thousands of people across Chicago Illinois. We are changing the lives of poor families with less effort. In order to continue delivering more effective selfless, and life-changing services, we look forward to partnering with you.

The Tinley Park Food Pantry is a wonderful resource for families and individuals who need a little…read morehelp in putting food on their tables. They give their clients fresh produce, pantry staples, meat, eggs, milk and many other necessities every single week.

From the owner: We provide food to those in need of assistance, primarily serving the communities of Tinley Park…read moreand Orland Hills. Distribution is on Wednesday's from 8:00AM until 1:30PM. We are closed for lunch from 12:00PM to 12:30PM. There is a 24x7 drop box on the West side of the church building, clearly labeled and monitored daily. All (unopened) donations are greatly appreciated!

I don't think anyone expects a homeless shelter to be a place of luxury. But it shouldn't be a…read morefraudulent organization making money from grants and taxpayer subsidies. By most accounts, Franciscan Outreach is the later and with the quasi Christian name, it is especially vial. Homeless shelters should aim to house, feed and protect residents. In the most basic sense, F.O. does this. I'm not sure how safe it is with the number of deaths that occurred in the shelter, nor the fact that 'special' people were allowed to bring in weapons, drugs and things they like to call contraband. I can only assume the city of Chicago began to get more involved because the number of 'special' people did decrease significantly making the shelter safer AFTER a news article was published criticizing the shelter. The facility is filthy. There is no kitchen so food is brought in from another location and food safety and hygiene issues are significant. Franciscan Outreach seems to go out of its way to ensure the food served is served IN the food danger zone- rarely cold or hot enough to ensure safety. While many shelters offer some sort of mattress, F.O. does not. In fact, getting a sheet or blanket is not assured either. Then there are the sheets that they insist were washed but have other people's hair and bodily fluids all over them. While the staff complain that residents aren't showering, weeks can go by without the shelter having any towels for residents to use. Staff do not like to be asked questions about anything. Please don't bother them with a question about if there is a towel, or a clean sheet or to enquire about housing placement. They hate their jobs and the residents they serve and it shows. Staff also tend to be very racist with Latino staff preferring to work with Latino people, black staff play favoritism to a few black residents and white people are generally treated like garbage and even have the privilege of hearing things like, 'You don't belong here', 'You just here to save some money', etc. Staff share private information about residents (i.e. health status, drug use, previous incarceration details) and staff demeanor is more appropriate for a prison than a shelter. Even when residents can manage themselves (e.g. lining up) the staff will become upset, shouting and yelling at the residents and wasting great amounts of time and energy trying to exert their authority with seemingly little progress. Yet when some residents are pushing in and cutting people, staff likewise ignore these actions (Perhaps the staff are dyslexic?). Staff also threaten to write people up and remove them, but after waking entire floors of residents (well over 100 people can sleep in an open factory floor setting), they rarely remove the person they were threatening. It's basic 101 skill to understand not to over promise anything- including a threat. As with most charity/social services programs, the real value is in paying people salaries to push papers back and forth with a vaguely disapproving smile and condescending tone. If this is the goal, Franciscan Outreach is an exemplar the world should try to emulate. If the goal is to actually help people, F.O. has a lot of learning to do.

Franciscan Outreach (Marquard Center) in Wicker Park was the original volunteer location I found…read moreprior to finding House of Mary and Joseph in East Garfield Park. As I write this review, I have already volunteered just short of a handful of times at House of Mary and Joseph, however I did anticipate grabbing a volunteer spot at Marquard Center, which I finally got. So far, I have met some great people at both Franciscan Outreach locations: volunteer, staff and clients, which makes volunteering at both locations even more sweeter because everyone is easy to work with. We are always thanked as a volunteer by both full-time volunteers and clients for helping. My goal is to volunteer at Franciscan Outreach (House of Mary and Joseph) on an average of once or twice a week during my off days, which is doable when I'm on break for the semester. Since I cannot help every homeless person that I encounter; volunteering at Franciscan Outreach is the least I can do because there are so many homeless scattered throughout Chicago. Marquard Center had a totally different set-up compared to House of Mary and Joseph, which at House of Mary and Joseph we put together the food plates then handed them out to the homeless individuals as they walked in, plus they had the luxury of picking through the fruits, bread, snacks and drinks at a table. But at Marquard Center, we put together the food plates then volunteers took the food out to the individuals as they sat at their seats. Marquard Center is set up more like a restaurant versus House of Mary and Joseph being set up like a school cafeteria, but I hope you get the gist. I plan to take note of when I applied for Marquard Center volunteer slot, so that I can return on a regular basis along with House of Mary and Joseph, which at House of Mary and Joseph it is lot easier to get a spot due to not many volunteers. In closing, I will end this review with a quote by Jan Schakowsky - "There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help." Thomas Gouard