While many will be enjoying a Thanksgiving feast Thursday in the Chicago area, Christian Amezola knows there are many who won't have that privilege.
That's why Amezola made his rounds of food deliveries before Thanksgiving to help people in need in suburban Cicero, his van is loaded with boxes of fresh produce, vegetables, protein, milk, and loaves of bread.
But that won't be enough to help all those in need this holiday season.
“There’s still a lot of communities that I believe still need a lot of help, where necessarily it’s not only us that could get to them, but it’s also a lot of communities that I think we could still work on and still work with,” Amezola said.
For months now he’s been working with Top Box Foods, the non-profit organization launched in 2012 with a mission to create equitable access to healthy foods in different communities.
“I think there’s a lot more to accomplish,” said Connor DeLoach, the executive director of Top Box Foods. "I think we’re only scratching the surface of what it will ultimately take to actually create truly equitable food systems for everybody and ensure that everybody has the food they need to have a healthy life.”
This thanksgiving they’re hoping to reach even more people through community partners. They teamed up with the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance to deliver 2,000 meals to migrant families in city shelters.
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“I think in total we’ll probably be delivering over 12,000 households around Thanksgiving alone,” said DeLoach. “It’s really incredible a lot of people will benefit from the hard work of our team and all our partners who are doing amazing things.”
Amezola knows the need is great given the rising cost of food. The people he’s helping weekly express gratitude for the delivery at their door.
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