When COVID-19 hit Chicago in mid-March and the city began to shut down, Malik Kemokai, director of workforce development for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, immediately began thinking up new ways to address food insecurity.
“There are two ways to address hunger—we support over 700 partners with food distribution, but the other side of that is workforce development and offering people with employment barriers a path to self-sufficiency,” Malik said. “So when READI Chicago approached us because their programming had been disrupted, we knew it was a great fit to see what we could do virtually.”
Prior to COVID-19, the Food Depository offered warehouse and kitchen training programs to READI Chicago participants. Brandon, who has always been interested in restaurants and who participated in the kitchen training program, said the Food Depository was instrumental in helping him land unsubsidized work at a cafe after he completed READI. However, as Chicago sheltered in place, Malik saw and heard from the Food Depository’s partners that traditional jobs in the culinary hospitality industry were drying up.
“We had to think about where the industry is going through all of this, because in the end it really is about making sure that our students are set up for the jobs that are out there—relevant jobs,” Malik said. “That’s why we started our virtual customer service and food handling programs, tailored to people who might have a lot of employment barriers.”
The virtual program offers two hours of training per day, five days a week, and the Food Depository has set aside one third of the program slots for READI Chicago participants.
“READI Chicago has been a great partner, in-person and virtually, and we’re so encouraged by the progress we’re seeing,” Malik said. “It’s really important for us to keep working with READI Chicago and supporting populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and food insecurity. That’s what we stand for at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.”
For more information on the Food Depository’s workforce development offerings, click here.
