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Founded in April 1993, Chicago Shares is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. At its annual meeting this past April, its board of directors was pleased to make grants to six Chicago non-profits that provide help to those who are homeless or food insecure.
To mark the 30th anniversary and to honor three decades of volunteer service to Chicago Shares by its president, Ron Polaniecki, the board named this year’s awards as the "Ron Polaniecki Chicago Shares 2023 Grant Award.” Those receiving the grants are (1) Care for Real, (2) Young Men’s Educational Network, (3) Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, (4) St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish, (5) Pope Francis Center, and (6) Dion’s Dream. At the same meeting, the board also elected King Poor as its new president. King is a longtime Chicago lawyer who retired as chair of the appellate practice group at the firm of Quarles & Brady LLP. Also, for many years, King has represented clients pro bono in their federal and state court appeals and continues that practice at Quarles & Brady. King succeeds Ron who has served as president since 2017. Ron will continue as board secretary. John Bradley will continue as treasurer. Julie Stagliano continues to serve as the volunteer executive director, a post she has held since 2000. Since its founding 30 years ago, Chicago Shares has distributed over 1 million vouchers in Chicago, and since 2021, in Evanston.
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We are excited to announce that Holy Name Cathedral is again selling Chicago Shares. They will be available on May 21, in the lobby after the 8:30am and 10:30am masses. A copy of the Holy Name Cathedral April 30 bulletin is below. 
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The newest Chicago Shares' ad is now on display in the October 31-November 6 issue of StreetWise. You can purchase a copy of the newspaper or visit it online here. 
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Chicago Shares has completed its 2022 Grant Awards Program. Of the many organizations carrying out initiatives to address food insecurity and hunger in the City of Chicago, several that applied had programs and approaches that were especially impactful. Please see below for a review of the grant check presentations. The Chicago Help Initiative The Chicago Help Initiative team prepares the Wednesday meal for takeout and dining in at the Catholic Charities facility on LaSalle Street. Doug Fraser, Director of CHI receives the Chicago Shares grant check and Shares from new CS board member Susan Gold and Julie Stagliano, Chicago Shares Executive Director. Stone Temple MB ChurchAt Stone Temple MB Church, Pastor Reshorna Fitzpatrick graciously shows Julie Stagliano, Chicago Shares Executive Director, some of the church-sponsored activities: fresh produce is distributed to local residents, community vegetable gardens are cultivated in raised beds, church members grill up donated chicken and ribs for area residents. Across the street, a coffee shop is coming to life and soon a cut flower stand as well! Young Men's Educational NetworkKimberly George, Young Men's Educational Network staff member, accepts a grant check from Julie Stagliano, Chicago Shares Executive Director, as Marcell Pickett looks on. This grant will help support their important work with youth and support their new "good grills" project, enabling them to loan out professional size smoker/grillers to area organizations for summer barbecue parties. Care for RealCare for Real, a Rogers Park-based food pantry and services organization, utilizes dozens of volunteers to assist with food distribution and logistics for their growing program (increased by 76% since the pandemic). Monique Fouant, a board member and Julie Stagliano, Executive Director of Chicago Shares, present a grant check to Jen Touba, Director of Development and Communications and Gregory Gross, Executive Director, to help support their programs. Dion's Chicago DreamElizabeth Kohlbeck, a Chicago Shares board member, and Julie Stagliano, Chicago Shares Executive Director, observe Dion Dawson stocking the "Love Fridge," a source of fresh produce for anyone in need. Dion is a social entrepreneur and founder of Dion's Chicago Dream. He is working to combat food insecurity and the "food desert" scourge by delivering fresh produce boxes to potentially 700 clients every week. St. Vincent DePaul Conference of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Ron Polaniecki, President of Chicago Shares, visits the Jefferson Park Blue Line Station to present a 2022 Chicago Shares Grant to the St. Vincent DePaul Conference of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. This group of St. Vincent DePaul volunteers was at the Station providing help for needy folks. Mission of Our Lady of the AngelsSister Laura of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels receives a grant from Julie Stagliano. The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels serves thousands of needy clients in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood with healthy and fresh foods. Congratulations to all of the
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