Food Equity Collaborative
Program Overview
The Food Equity Collaborative focuses on addressing systemic food insecurity in disinvested West Side neighborhoods by building sustainable, community-driven solutions. The program’s essence is found in initiatives such as the Community Grocer Initiative, food access surveys, pop-up markets, and resident-informed planning efforts.
The Collaborative functions as both a strategic alliance and community engagement mechanism. It brings together grassroots organizations, healthcare institutions, local residents, and developers to co-design equitable food systems. At the heart of the initiative is the belief that food access is a fundamental human right—and one that requires consistent local input, economic investment, and infrastructure support to be realized effectively.
Key Partners and Impacts
A key example of the Collaborative’s work is seen in the Garfield Park Grocer Initiative, led in partnership with the Garfield Park Community Council (GPCC). After an Aldi store closed unexpectedly—leaving a significant portion of the neighborhood, especially seniors, without nearby food access—West Side United and GPCC mobilized resources to fill the gap.
Rush University Medical Center launched food giveaways.
The Chicago Blackhawks Foundation funded local pop-up markets run by GPCC.
Yellow Banana, the new owner of a local Save A Lot, worked with residents and West Side United to redesign the store in line with community preferences—better produce, improved store conditions, and reasonable pricing.
West Side United also partnered with Kearney, a consulting firm with experience in food access strategy (notably the Grocer on Racine project), to conduct a community-informed feasibility study. This included surveys and engagement to identify preferred grocery models such as co-ops or publicly-owned stores.
In addition, West Side United supported developers responding to a City of Chicago RFP for a new grocery-anchored development at Madison and Hamlin, by incorporating resident input directly into development proposals.
Long-Term Vision
The long-term vision of the Food Equity Collaborative is to eliminate food deserts across the West Side by establishing resident-responsive, sustainable grocery infrastructure. This includes:
Supporting grocery store models with community ownership or oversight to prevent future sudden closures.
Creating multi-stakeholder governance models that embed community input into ongoing store operations.
Continuing to build an interconnected network of trusted local partners—including CBOs, consultants, funders, and city agencies—to reinforce long-term food security.
Ultimately, the Food Equity Collaborative seeks to transition from reactive solutions (e.g., pop-up markets) to structural changes in how food systems are designed, operated, and sustained on the West Side. It is both a community empowerment tool and a strategic planning framework for lasting food equity.
