Come Volunteer with Us
Wednesday Supper
CHI serves a sit-down evening meal every Wednesday from 3:30 - 5:30 pm in the dining room at Catholic Charities, 721 N. LaSalle St., for up to 300 guests. Our guests include Chicagoans in need, people who are unhoused, and newly arrived migrants to our city.
We need 20 to 25 volunteers for each supper. Volunteers are asked to commit two hours of their time to participate. Volunteers should arrive at 3:30 to assist in setting up tables and food items, serving guests and cleaning up after the meal.
Groups of more than 10 people are expected to sponsor the meal for which they are volunteering. In turn, we will reserve up to 15 spaces for them to work as a group. Current meal sponsorships are $1,000, which includes any food we have to purchase (most CHI meals are cooked at churches and use food rescue, but sometimes have to buy), supplies, social services provided before and during the meal, and venue costs.
Saturday Morning Meal
CHI and First St. Paul’s Lutheran have partnered to serve a morning meal every Saturday at First St. Paul Church, at 1301 N La Salle Dr.
Bag meals
CHI receives and then distributes bag meals made by volunteers on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9:30 am - 10:30 am. If you are interested in making meals, please contact Sarah Boone at sboone@chicagohelpinitiative.org.
Cooking for People in Need
Supervised by a chef, we now cook meals for our guests for other community meals around the City and for delivery to unhoused people in encampments around the city. We cook every Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Peer Groups
In an effort to bring together people who are isolated and seeking connection with others, CHI hosts a series of group activities prior to our meal service. All activities are participatory and include: short storytelling, book club, chess, yoga, theater, computer learning, knitting, and choral music. If you are interested in being a volunteer leader of an existing group, or if you have a skill that can be shared and explored in a new group, we would love to hear from you.
Peer groups usually run 90 minutes to two hours and are held on Wednesdays between 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm and from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturdays. We are also open to considering other days and times.
St. Chrys’s Free Store
Every Wednesday St. Chrysostom and Ascension Church opens its Free Store to people in need, including newly arrived migrants to our city and Chicagoans experiencing homelessness. The store provides a vast array of gently used and new apparel and accessories for women, men and children The church needs volunteers to help with sorting donated items and assisting shoppers.
New Foundations Resources
CHI oversees resource groups at eight different community meals around the City. We help people in need access basic services and items they need to move forward in life – such as getting a new ID, signing up on a housing list, securing SNAP and Medicaid benefits, finding legal assistance, getting a government phone and obtaining a transit pass.
We train you to do this work in a group of other volunteers.
The best way to learn about our New Foundations program is to watch it in action. If you’d like to volunteer, please attend one of our Wednesday meals from 3:30 - 5:30 pm at the dining room at Catholic Charities, 721 N LaSalle and meet with our New Foundations participants.
Our New Foundations partners include:
- St. Chrysostom Episcopal Church, Near North
- St. Paul Lutheran Church, Near North
- Mission of Our Lady of Angels, West Side
- South Loop Community Table, Near South
- Holy Trinity Cathedral, Humboldt Park
- Our Lady of Africa, Bronzeville
- West Point Baptist Church, Bronzeville
Fundraising Events
CHI hosts several events every year to bring together and celebrate our supporters and raise funds for our programs.
Our annual fundraising gala, “Feeding Hope,” is held at a popular venue in our city and features sumptuous fare, a live and silent auction and live entertainment. This year’s Gala will be held on October 24th, 2024.
We also hold an annual holiday event in early December. In past years, we’ve screened classic Christmas movies at the Music Box Theatre. Stay tuned for more information on this year’s holiday activity!
To learn more, submit a suggestion or question, or to organize your own fundraiser for CHI, please contact Doug Fraser at dfraser@chicagohelpinitiative.org.
Did you know?
30% of Chicago’s homeless population suffers from mental illness.
“Nobody should go hungry. With the Chicago Help Initiative, you don’t have to.”
Bruce