[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2006

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
Greater Chicago Food Depository for its enduring commitment to 
providing food for hundreds of thousands of hungry people in Cook 
County. In addition to addressing immediate needs, the Greater Chicago 
Food Depository strives to end hunger throughout the region by 
empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.
  The Greater Chicago Food Depository, founded in 1979, is one of the 
largest not for-profit food distribution systems in the nation, 
distributing donated and purchased food through a network of 600 
pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to more than 91,000 adults and 
children every week. Last year, the Food Depository distributed more 
than 40 million pounds of non-perishable food and fresh produce, dairy 
products, meat, poultry and fish--the equivalent of more than 84,300 
meals per day.
  In addition to its food distribution programs, the Greater Chicago 
Food Depository runs Chicago's Community Kitchens, a chef-training 
program designed to empower unemployed and underemployed Chicago 
residents. Featured on November 28th in a front-page article in the 
Wall Street Journal, this free twelve- week program teaches 
participants the basics of food preparation and employment skills, 
enabling them to develop a successful career in the food service 
industry. Students create nearly 2,000 meals a day for delivery to the 
Kid's Cafes, an after-school program also run by the Food Depository 
that provides children with a daily hot meal, a safe haven, tutoring, 
and other educational programs.
  Chicago's Community Kitchens is an innovative program that empowers 
graduates looking for ``a new lease on life'', and inspires them to 
give back to the community themselves. Many of the students in 
Chicago's Community Kitchens are soup kitchen regulars or homeless 
shelter residents and, after graduating and securing a full-time job, 
have returned to volunteer at a soup kitchen themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the Greater Chicago Food Depository for its 
tireless, efforts to provide food for hungry people, to provide people 
with the tools necessary to break the cycles of poverty, and to end 
hunger in our community. I wish its staff, volunteers, and supporters 
every future success in their continuing work toward meeting the needs 
of Chicago's hungry men, women and children.

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