Nutrition Program

Common Pantry recognizes that today’s health and equity challenges strongly call for us to address not just “food security,” but “nutrition security” as well.  Among families who access food pantries in Chicago, one-third have a family member with diabetes and over half have a family member with high blood pressure. We believe in providing not just food, but consistent access to nourishing, culturally-appropriate food and tools that our neighbors can use to empower themselves to live productive and healthful lives.

With our in-house registered dietitian on staff, Common Pantry is dedicated to creating sustainable, structured nutrition practices to nourish and support the wellbeing of our larger community. We commit to gradually building, operating, and maintaining a two-tiered nutrition program:

• Internal Purchasing: Common Pantry will internally purchase only foods that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins and foods under the “choose often” categorization from the Healthy Eating Research Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System (HER Guidelines), giving priority to foods that are requested by guests:
  • Canned fruits packed in 100% fruit juice only
  • Low-sodium or no-salt added choices
  • Low-sugar or no-sugar added choices
• Donations: Common Pantry will request and strongly encourage donations from the above bullet point. 
  • All donated food that is deemed safe will be distributed; we strive to educate and empower our guests to make decisions that support them and their lifestyles rather than completely restricting access to certain items.

• SWAP: Integrate the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) stoplight ranking system within our physical shopping space.

• Food Samples & Recipes

• Cooking Classes & Workshops

• Individualized Nutrition Counseling

More details coming soon as we expand this program in 2024!