The Construction Management Association of America at Illinois Tech is hosting a Food Drive and Virtual Donation Campaign in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and their partner food pantry CF Benton House in Bridgeport to support families impacted by recent SNAP benefit cuts.

From now until December 5, CMAA is hosting a virtual food drive for monetary donations, which go directly to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. With GCFD, a donation as small as $1 can be made into three nutritional meals to families across Cook County, so any donation helps! To make donations, please go to https://myfooddrives.org/team/784593 or scan the QR codes on the flyers!

On Friday, November 21, from 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., CMAA will be collecting food donations at Table #3 on the MTCC Bridge. These donations will be taken directly to CF Benton House in Bridgeport to be distributed to those in need the next morning. Donations should be non-perishable foods and in sealed cans/boxes/jars/containers in order to be donated. Items to donate include:

• Canned & Shelf-Stable Meals: Soups, stews, chili, ravioli, coconut milk, Asian-style canned veggies, curry sauces, tuna/sardines, kimchi, pickled vegetables.
• Proteins & Meats: Ham, turkey, chicken, deli meats, tofu, plant-based proteins.
• Noodles, Rice & Grains: Instant noodles/ramen, rice (jasmine, basmati, sushi), rice noodles, soba, vermicelli, dried seaweed, breadcrumbs, cereal.
• Cooking & Baking Staples: Mixes (pancake, biscuit, cornbread), syrup, sugar, spices, baking powder/soda, rice vinegar, sesame oil.
• Condiments & Sauces: Soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, sriracha, curry paste.
• Desserts & Sweets: Pie crusts, pie fillings, cake/brownie/cookie mixes, pudding, marshmallows, honey.
• Meal Kits & Grab-and-Go: Boxed meal kits (mac & cheese, rice bowls), granola/protein bars, coffee, bottled water.
• Non-Food Essentials: Foil, baking pans, wipes, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine hygiene, dish soap, laundry detergent, winter gloves/hats.

Please note that there are some items listed here that are perishable or non-food. We can accept these however, we are focusing on non-perishables and food. If it is on the list, we will most likely accept it. I have also attached our two promotional flyers which also detail the information in this email and contain QR codes for our virtual food drive.

To everyone seeing this, If you can’t donate, please share this! Our hope is to make someone’s life easier, especially with the holidays coming.

Let’s come together to make a meaningful impact. Thank you for your support!