Last month, 15 members of Credico’s Legal and Onboarding teams headed to Chicago’s west side to donate their time toward the ongoing effort to relieve hunger in in the city, one shopping bag at a time. El Mercadito, located in Humboldt Park, is a partnership between Nourishing Hope and La Casa Norte that serves Chicago residents struggling with hunger.
Created from the mutual belief that access to nutritious food is a basic human right, El Mercadito goes beyond just providing nutritious groceries, including fresh produce, dairy, and meat. They also give the community access to Nourishing Hope’s comprehensive social services, including public benefits assistance, job search training, and mental health counseling, as well as La Casa Norte’s housing information and referral services. There are no strings attached to these services, just a team of professional counselors and social services providers ready to help.
Credico recognizes the importance of community involvement and giving back. When taking into account the struggles facing underserved communities in Chicago, deciding on a food pantry was a no-brainer, not to mention it provided a very exciting, hands-on, fast-paced opportunity for team collaboration. The team was most interested in Nourishing Hope’s mission to empower their clients with a dignified shopping experience.
Upon arriving at El Mercadito, the Credico team could immediately see that it was a great facility. They were welcomed by friendly volunteers who provided clear directions on what they would be assisting with that day. Some team members were on restock duty for the shelves, while others were on shopping duty. As we have several Spanish speakers on our team, they were able to help guide clients through the warehouse to pick up their groceries. Still other team members were on “express duty,” filling bags and carts with essentials for the clients who lined up to pick up a fully-stocked shopping bag full of food.
The best part of volunteering at El Mercadito was the super-friendly staff. There was even a rather “zesty” game of foosball in between tasks! All in all, our group helped serve the day’s total of 153 households, consisting of 361 people (and 20 new clients!), contributing in this small way to furthering the decades of service provided by Nourishing Hope.
“The staff was extremely kind and welcoming. I especially enjoyed the one-on-one time with the patrons during the shop assist. Humboldt is a beautiful community of people; it felt good to give back.”
– Amber Anderson, Onboarding Specialist
This volunteer opportunity was perfect for the group of 15 from Legal and Onboarding, just the right size to get the job done. Credico is also hosting a company-wide drive to donate hygienic supplies to Nourishing Home through March 1st so everyone on the Chicago-based team can participate! A box for donations is set up in the entryway, accepting donations of toilet paper, menstrual pads, bar soap, body wash, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo and conditioner, dish soap, and laundry detergent. Current most-needed hygiene items are shampoo, body wash, and lotion.
To learn more about Nourishing Hope, or for information about setting up your own volunteer day, we encourage you to visit www.nourishinghopechi.org.