OBAMA FOUNDATION EXPANDS LOCAL LUNCHBOX PROGRAM
BY TIA CAROL JONES
On a hot summer Friday, campers from the YMCA enjoyed a
tumbling performance from the Jesse White Tumblers, while Dion
Dawson of Dion’s Chicago Dream and his team placed an array of
fresh fruit on a table and local chefs prepared food for the young
people to try.
The event, which also featured gardening demonstrations, was a celebration and launch of the Local Lunchbox program. This was the second year the Obama Foundation partnered with Local Lunchbox to host this event, which brings together local chefs and community organizations to feed children and young people healthy, culturally relevant food during the summer months. Last year, the program began in Chicago as a pilot. This year, it has a goal to feed 1,000 young people and has expanded to three YMCA locations throughout the city.
Local Lunchbox was founded in 2020 by the Shah Family Foundation, with the goal to connect local restaurants with young people and children to provide healthy meals. Joshua Harris, Vice President of Public Engagement for the Obama Foundation, said the program is a continuation of Michelle Obama’s work as First Lady in the White House, championing healthy eating and nutrition for young people.
Harris said last year, breakfast and lunch was served to a thousand children for free, that were created by local chefs and local businesses. The added plus is that those businesses also get amplified as a result of participation.
“Part of our approach at the Obama Foundation is that we want to make sure what we’re doing was done with the community and with our neighbors. This is another way of us working hand-in-hand with our community neighbors and partners,” he said.
Dion Dawson, Founder and Chief Dreamer of Dion’s Chicago Dream, brought mini watermelons, grapes, apples, cherries and oranges. Dawson and Dion’s Chicago Dream, which was founded in 2020, partnered with the event last year.
“I think it’s important that not only do these kids see there are organizations that care about them, but also, we’re home grown. We’re an organization based in Chicago, I’m an Englewood native, and they can see that they can grow to be a partner and care for people who look like them,” Dawson said, adding that because his organization is all about health and wellness and social determinants of health, this event was a hand in glove fit.
Lashon Burrell, Owner and Executive Chef of Cajun Café Chicago, wanted to participate to give back to the youth and work with the YMCA and Obama Foundation. Burell brought veggie cups, turkey sliders, vegetarian orzo salad and orzo salad with Greek chicken for the attendees to try.
“What I hope they get is that you can have fresh food that tastes good and looks good that can be presented to you in a very elegant way. I also hope they understand as a minority, women-owned business, we can do it. It doesn’t matter where you come from, or where you grew up, if you want to work hard and want something, you can get it,” she said.
Swathi Staley, Chief Community Investment Officer and
General Counsel for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, said
The Obama Foundation and the YMCA has a mutual interest
in making sure children are getting the best of what’s out
there. The YMCA wanted to take advantage of the opportunity
to mold and teach the young people who participate in
their programs about nutrition and health and wellness.
“This program, specifically, is something that provides culturally relevant, nutritious meals to them. They’re given so much variety day-to-day and it’s partnering with chefs in our community Black-owned catering businesses, women- owned businesses in the community,” Staley said, adding that it’s a great way to engage business owners in the community in a different way, but also to teach children about a variety of foods they might not have ever been exposed to.
The program, which provides breakfast and lunch to those 18 and younger, will run at the South Side YMCA, located at 6330 S. Stony Island; Rauner Family YMCA, located at 2700 S. Western Avenue; and Kelly Hall YMCA, located at 824 N. Hamlin Avenue. It will end on Friday, Aug. 11, at the Kelly Hall YMCA and Friday, Aug. 18 for the South Side and Rauner Family locations.
For more information about the program, visit locallunchbox.
org/chi-new.
