Food security and economic opportunity are deeply connected. When students are trying to balance coursework, jobs, family responsibilities, and the cost of living, dependable access to food can make the difference between persisting and falling behind. Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 2026 story about its partnership with City Colleges of Chicago shows how support can address both the immediate need for groceries and the longer path toward financial stability.
Meeting basic needs while building a future
The Food Depository has partnered with City Colleges to make healthy food more accessible through on-campus pantries, including the expanded Statesman Market at Kennedy-King College. This direct food access matters, particularly for students who are supporting themselves or their families while pursuing a degree.
But the partnership does not stop there. During the 2025–26 academic year, the Food Depository launched a paid, 12-month apprenticeship program for City Colleges students. The program combines meaningful work, mentoring, training, career-readiness support, and introductions to prospective employers. Its purpose is to reduce the risk of food insecurity not only today, but also by helping students build careers that offer greater stability tomorrow.
Skills, confidence, and connection
The first cohort of five apprentices worked in different areas of the Food Depository while continuing their studies. Their experiences show that professional development is more than a line on a résumé. Hands-on work can deepen confidence, help students see their abilities in a new light, and connect classroom learning to the needs of a real organization.
One apprentice balanced a business-administration degree with motherhood, family caregiving, and multiple jobs. Another gained experience in IT while working toward a computer-science degree. Others explored data analytics, development, sustainability, and communications. Together, their stories demonstrate how a structured opportunity can make a long-term goal feel practical and reachable.
A model for lasting food security
Food assistance remains essential, but long-term security also depends on pathways to education, work, and economic mobility. The apprenticeship model recognizes that these needs are connected. By paying students, offering mentorship, and inviting them into mission-driven work, the program invests in people as whole individuals with immediate needs and future aspirations.
After the pilot cohort, the Food Depository welcomed nine new apprentices, expanding the initiative’s reach. That growth suggests a promising lesson for community partnerships: food security efforts can be strengthened when they make room for talent development and career opportunity alongside direct food access. Read the Food Depository’s original story.
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