When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, infection rates soared and thousands of people suddenly struggled to put food on the table. But young people from the neighborhood began showing up. What started as a small church pantry quickly grew into a massive community effort to feed families across the southwest side of Chicago.

In this episode, Ken Alvarado of New Life Centers shares the story of how decades of quiet community work, combined with the courage and leadership of young people during the pandemic, helped create something lasting.

Are you longing for a space in community to imagine a healed future and strengthen your leadership? Auburn Theological Seminary invites you to the Heal the World Summit 2026, June 22–26 at Zephyr Point in Lake Tahoe. If you are a religious, faith, or emerging leader passionate about building community, bridging divides, pursuing justice, and healing the world, this is for you! Join us for five days of faithful and inspiring programming. Tiered registration rates, scholarships, and more information can be found at auburnseminary.org/heal-the-world-summit.

In this Episode: Pan de Vida Earns 2023 Chicago Neighborhood Development Award Tackling the challenge of food security in Chicago

Producer, Writer, Host: Roslyn Hernández Sound Engineer: Nasim Bowlus Storyteller: Ken Alvarado

A Chasing Justice Podcast Network Production

This podcast season was made possible by the Storytellers Collective, a program of Christians for Social Action.

The theme song for this season is We Got Us. It was produced in collaboration with Common Hymnal and the Storyteller's Collective.

Social links: https://chasingjustice.com || Instagram: @chasingjustice_ || LinkedIn: Chasing Justice

We have an active Patreon community where you can access more resources. Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice || PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate