Project Description
Our group wanted to make a difference within Chicago, so we decided to work with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to help raise funds and awareness for food insecurity and systematic issues that contribute to food waste. Not only did we want to raise funds to provide meals for the community, but we also wanted to educate more Chicagoans about the food insecurity within the city and how they can help bring hope to the community and make a positive impact. We hosted a Virtual Informational Session that allowed people of the Chicago community to come together and listen to a representative from the Greater Chicago Food Depository who goes into depth about the mission that the organization is focused on accomplishing as well as sharing our group mission of raising funds to provide meals for the those who don’t have easy access to food.
Description of Charity/Organization
The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a food bank located in Chicago that focuses on working to reduce hunger by distributing food, advocating for a positive change for the Chicago community, as well as supporting programs that focus on addressing the poverty and food insecurity issues within Chicago. The Greater Chicago Food Depository also partners with over 800 community-based organizations across Cook County. Some of these organizations include soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries, and more. Overall, the Greater Chicago Food Depository has the goal and mission to reduce hungry and empty bellies all around Chicago, they advocate, support, and care about those facing food insecurity and want to make a positive change.
Factual Analysis of Success in Terms of Project Objectives
The main objective behind the “2025 Meal Mission: Greater Chicago Food Depository Informational Session” was to educate people about the mission behind the organization and to raise funds to provide meals for those facing food insecurity in Chicago. We used social media, email, and flyers to spread awareness of the event and of the fundraiser we were hosting. With the informational session, it allowed people to come together and learn about the issues people are facing nearby. There was also a raffle that helped incentivize people to join and participate in the virtual informational session. We had a group goal of $1,000, and we raised $1,043, which provided 3,129 meals.
Two Lessons learned about managing projects
- Team Dynamics Matter – it is important to have a team that has good time management skills, communication skills, and are able to collaborate with others. Throughout this process, it was clear that good communication was needed in order to stay on top of things. Which leads into being able to follow deadlines and complete tasks by the time they needed to be done by so the project doesn’t delay. It helps to have a good team dynamic so that it is a smooth, positive, and stress-free process.
- Defining Clear Goals and Scope – having a lot of different ideas and trying to put them together can result in a lot of different goals that are desired to be achieved. We learned that throughout the process that we needed to narrow down on one or two main goals to keep people interested, involved, and not confused. With managing a project, it can be tempting to accept all new ideas. But we had to make sure that whatever our goal was, it was clear, concise, and people would be interested in it.
Advice for future teams doing similar projects
When working with a group, especially online, it is really important to schedule regular check-ins with your team. Even if they do not feel like they are necessary, because this can bring up more information for future steps and tasks or can help clarify current tasks. One regret our group has is not scheduling more check-ins outside of class to see where we were all at with the social media sharing and donations. Having little quick meetings can be a lot more impactful than you may originally think. After each meeting we had, we were able to accomplish more than we all originally thought we would. Therefore, schedule those check-in meetings, talk to your group as much as possible, this will ensure better relationships and better teamwork.
Photos:
Virtual Info Session – Pink and Blue Background
