is food, insecure.

That's in part because of a lack of grocery stores and affordable food options in their neighborhoods.

In partnership with Wt Tw News Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism students report on how some local organizations are putting produce and pantry.

Staples on the shelves for those in need.

Here's Mila Branson.

>> so?

Circle Urban Ministries in Austin opens its pantry doors to the public serving all who come great day.

Coordinator Daario Anderson says the nonprofit feeds about 1000 people each month.

>> Hughes.

>> It's area.

They can easily be swept under the carpet and it really impacts a large population of Chicago.

The ministry's pantry operates like a grocery store.

Clients will cards through aisles and select shopping for what they want to have a choice of what they want to get.

It allows us to be a little bit more intimate with the crime.

Former client Frank Smith says he appreciates the pantry so much that he began volunteering as security.

What break that down for me.

>> It can't.

>> Food and my family's mount.

Doing 10 could.

>> The nonprofit receives free food from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Its pantry is one of several small pilots working with the organization.

There are not many grocery stores that are within walking distance of of our neighborhood.

That really puts a hardship.

All our residents one other nonprofit Dion, Chicago Dream hopes to remedy the food desert issue by delivering boxes of produce directly to clients.

Dion Dawson founded the organization in 2020 and says it's grown to service more than 173 zip codes in Chicago.

If you say that you're you access that we take you for The numbers demonstrate demand.

The nonprofit currently delivers food packages to more than 4,000 households in Chicago.

Each week with a wait list of another 2000 families were convinced that the need is going anywhere.

How do we just, you know, every day, keep chipping away in a way where, you know, you can see that tangible growth.

Dawson says his organization has received government grants, but it's mainly supported by donations from individuals.

Dion, Chicago, dream purchases, food from a local wholesalers have about a year's worth of fresh fruits and vegetables to a household and $1000 per year cost like Dawson's program, Rush Medical Center, food distributions are also funded primarily by donations.

It operates a food pantry for patients in need.

Food is medicine program Director Julia Bassett says individuals are referred to the pantry by physician based on their level of food insecurity.

Workers.

you have again, communities that are under-resourced.

They don't have grocery We do food distributions and that helps support.

But again, a Band-Aid approach.

Bassett says the program gets around.

70 physician referrals per week.

>> With free fresh food sourced from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

She says the program aims to alleviate comorbidity issues, but even with distributions in place, Bassett says more food is needed.

we have those things in place.

We could really change the trajectory of some of our black and brown people were experiencing some of those issues.

Bassett says money is the key to addressing food insecurity because you to find these very emergent needs of communities.

If we still have that type of support, that we can get grocer was some sort the communities that will really help kind of things.

Some of the programs that we have no matter the obstacle, local organizations are still focused on supporting their own.

We're all in community together and we all need a helping hand.

For Wt DW news and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.

I Mila Branson.

Again.

That was a W T Tw News