How local restaurant owners redirect surplus food across Greater Chicago

Nearly 2 million Illinois residents rely on SNAP to help with food costs, underscoring the scale of hunger across the state.

Local food organizations already operate under significant demand, and any disruption to food assistance can put additional pressure on the community networks that help families fill the gap.

The story: Hunger is a year-round challenge that requires ongoing support — but local businesses can play a practical role in strengthening that network.

The idea: The Chick-fil-A Shared Table program helps redirect surplus food from restaurants to local nonprofits that can put it to good use.

How it works: Participating Chick-fil-A restaurants package high-quality surplus food for nonprofit partners to incorporate into meals.

• Restaurants donate ingredients like chicken filets, chicken strips, biscuits, mac and cheese, fruit cups and salads.

Local nonprofit partners pick up the donated food and use it to help prepare meals for people experiencing food insecurity.

• Those ingredients can be used in dishes like chicken parmesan, breakfast casseroles, stir-fries and smoothies.

The strategy: Each restaurant contributes surplus food, with nonprofit partners across the community helping turn those donations into meals for neighbors in need.

The model gives restaurants a consistent process for redirecting usable food while giving nonprofit organizations ingredients they can incorporate into the meals they already prepare and distribute.

• Plus, because restaurants work with organizations located nearby, those donations can remain in the same communities where the food originated.

The local impact: All Chick-fil-A restaurants across the Greater Chicago area participate in Shared Table.

• The program's local partnerships have helped create more than 984,000 meals for neighbors in need.

The takeaway: Shared Table gives Chicago-area Chick-fil-A restaurants a tangible way to support their communities: recovering prepared food that still has value and getting it into the hands of local nonprofit partners that can turn it into meals.

During Hunger Action Month this September, Chick-fil-A is highlighting these partnerships and the year-round work of local organizations addressing food insecurity.

Learn more about the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program and its work in local communities.