City Colleges of Chicago Volunteers Help Pack Meals for 9/11 Day

On September 11, members of the City Colleges of Chicago community joined 1,600 volunteers at Union Station’s Great Hall for the Chicago Meal Pack for 9/11 Day. Together, all of the volunteers helped pack 560,000 meals for people and families experiencing food insecurity in the Chicago area. The meals were distributed through the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

City Colleges hosts two AmeriCorps VISTA members, who are working to build a culture of student volunteerism on campus. They, along with City Colleges students, played a key role as support staff volunteers. They supported the event by stepping into every position available, from packing meals and maintaining supplies at each table to setting up and welcoming other volunteers. Members of the City Colleges community helped ensure the event ran smoothly and that every participant felt welcome and energized.

Chicago Meal Pack for 9/11 Day was part of a nationwide initiative where more than 30,000 volunteers across the country packed 9 million meals for people at risk of hunger. It was organized by 9/11 Day, the nonprofit that created and leads the federally recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The organization’s mission is to honor the victims, survivors, first responders, and military personnel impacted by 9/11 through acts of service.

By participating in the Chicago Meal Pack, City Colleges of Chicago students, along with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, honored this legacy and demonstrated our ongoing commitment to service to our community.