CONSTITUENT BASE.

>> THANK YOU BOTH.

>> FOOD INSECURITY IS A

NATIONWIDE PROBLEM AND HERE IN

CHICAGO STUDIES SHOW IT'S MORE

ACUTE.

ONE FOOD PANTRY IS TRYING TO

TACKLE THE PROBLEM IN A

DIFFERENT WAY BY ESTABLISHING

ITSELF IN A LOCATION MANY

CLIENTS VISIT.

AND PROVIDING INGREDIENTS AND

RESOURCES OTHERS DO NOT.

CHICAGO'S NICK BLUMBERG REPORTS.

>> ON A RAINY LATE SUMMER DAY,

HOLLY MOORE IS MAKING CELERY

SOUP INSIDE HER KITCHEN.

>> I'M NOT READY FOR SOUP SEASON

BUT I KNOW IT'S INEVITABLE.

>> ALL THE INGREDIENTS THE

CELERY AND BROCCOLI AND THE

HERBS AND SPICES CAME FROM A

FOOD PANTRY IN NEARBY PILSEN.

>> I STARTED THIS LITTLE A

COUPLE HOURS AGO I WANT TO DO TO

SIT AND MARINATE A LITTLE BIT.

>> MOORE HAS BEEN STRUGGLING

WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS SINCE 2016

AND LEARNED ABOUT THE PANTRY

THROUGH THE CANCER DEPARTMENT AT

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

HEALTH SYSTEM.

>> I WOULD HAVE MY BILLS PAID

AND EVERYTHING BUT IT WAS FOOD

THAT WAS MY PROBLEM.

I WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED BY HOW

MUCH THEY HAD AND THE QUALITY.

>> THE UI HEALTH PILSEN FOOD

PANTRY IS THE BRAINCHILD OF DR.

EVELYN FIGUEROA.

DR. EVELYN FIGUEROA WHO SPENT

HER CAREER IN NONPROFIT FAMILY

MEDICINE THOUGHT OF HERSELF AS

ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS UNTIL SHE

REALIZED A PATIENT OF HERS WAS

STRUGGLING WITH HOMELESSNESS AND

SHE MISSED IT.

>> IT WAS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR ME

TO BECOME MORE ASSERTIVE WITH MY

PATIENTS.

AND DO A BETTER SOCIAL HEALTH

INVENTORY ON THEM.

>> AROUND THE SAME TIME,

FIGUEROA AND WU LEARNED ABOUT A

FOOD PANTRY INSIDE A HEALTH

CLINIC IN SAN DIEGO.

SEEMED LIKE A NO-BRAINER.

SCREEN PATIENTS FOR FOOD

INSECURITY AND EDUCATE THEM AND

SEND THEM TO A PANTRY IN THE

SAME BUILDING.

>> THE RESEARCH FROM THE FOOD

APP PANTRY IN SAN DIEGO SHOWED

IF YOU PROVIDED FOOD ON-SITE

RATHER THAN A REFERRAL YOU

INCREASED UPTAKE BY THREE TO

FOUR TIMES.

>> DO YOU WANT TO GET MORE

YELLOW SQUASH?

>> THE PILSEN FOOD PANTRY OPENED

IN EARLY 2018 AND IT'S STILL A

START-UP.

ENTIRELY VOLUNTEER RUN WITH TONS

OF LEGWORK DONE BY FIGUEROA, WU

AND THEIR KIDS.

THERE WAS PLENTY FOR THE FAMILY

TO DO.

A GREATER CHICAGO DRIVER DROPPED

OFF 900 POUNDS OF DONATED MILK.

>> WE DO A LOT OF SHUFFLING TO

MAKE EVERYTHING FIT.

SO CATCHER IS MY FAVORITE GAME.

>> THE MILK WAS ONE OF EIGHT

DELIVERIES THEY GET EACH YEAR

AND THEY MAKE TRIPS ALL OVER

TOWN TO PICK UP FOOD THAT WOULD

OTHERWISE BE THROWN AWAY.

>> 40% OF THE FOOD THAT WE MAKE

IN THE UNITED STATES WE THROW

INTO A LANDFILL OR COMPOST WHICH

IS SURPRISING WHEN ONE OUT OF

FIVE FAMILIES IN CHICAGO ARE

FOOD INSECURE WHEN WE SCREENED

THIS PILSEN CLINIC.

80% OF THE PEOPLE INDICATED THEY

HAD HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING

HEALTHY FOOD AND FOOD HAD RUN

OUT IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS.

>> THE PANTRY PROVIDES

INGREDIENTS THAT FIGUEROA SAYS

OTHERS DON'T.

OIL AND VINEGAR, FRESH HERBS,

SPICES AND LOTS OF PRODUCE

THINGS THAT HELP CLIENTS COOK A

FULL MEAL INSTEAD OF INCO HER

RENT INGREDIENTS.

AND.

>> AFTER A BUSY MORNING NOW IT'S

TIME FOR THE CLIENTS TO COME IN

AND THEY DISTRIBUTE ABOUT 50-90

POUNDS OF FOOD PER FAMILY EACH

WEEK.

>> BUT THE PANTRY HOPES TO

EXPAND.

FIGUEROA SAYS IT'S ABOUT

THINKING OF FOOD AS MEDICINE.

SINCE FOOD INSECURITY IS NOT

JUST ABOUT HUNGER.

>> IT PREDICTS DIABETES, ASTHMA,

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OBSESSIVE

COMPULSIVE DISORDER.

>> I THINK I WILL HAVE TO ADD

WATER TO THAT.

>> CLIENT HOLLY MOORE'S HEALTH

IS ON THE UPSWING AND HAS BEEN

REGAINING HER STRENGTH AND

REBUILDING HER LIFE.

WITH THE SOUP SIMMERING ON THE

STOVE SHE IS AT WORK ON A BEET

HUMMUS.

>> GETTING THAT PINK COLOR.

>> THE HUMMUS IS FROM A RECIPE

SHE GOT WITH THE INGREDIENTS

FROM WU AND FIGUEROA'S PANTRY.

>> I ALWAYS RECOMMEND HER TO A

LOT OF MY FRIENDS, TOO, WHO ARE

STRUGGLING.

AND I HAVE TO TELL THEM IT ISN'T

JUST FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING

THROUGH HEALTH PROBLEMS.

IT'S FOR ANYBODY IN THE CITY.

>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" I'M

NICK BLUMBERG.

>> THE PANTRY IS OPEN FROM