The Dream
Stability for
Chicago’s Communities
Dion’s Chicago Dream is to create financial, physical, and emotional stability for Chicago’s residents by combating food insecurity while addressing food deserts in neighborhoods across the city. Dion’s Dream is to use nutritional philanthropy as a catalyst to build community and transform lives. As an idea born in the heart of Englewood to give back to the community that raised him, Dion’s initiative has expanded to assist residents in need in every Chicago neighborhood through the power of fresh, healthy food.
Our Community
Challenges Facing Chicago Neighborhoods
Across Chicago’s 70+ communities, there are estimated to be more than 500,000 people facing hunger and food insecurity. Residents struggle with population loss, a lack of jobs, school closures, a housing crisis, and gang violence — especially in a post-pandemic environment. Food deserts affect every part of the city, with a larger presence in the South and West sides of Chicago.
Interconnected with this, many Chicagoans also suffer from these challenges:
What is Food Insecurity?
The condition where people cannot reliably access adequate, nutritious food.
What is a Food Desert?
An area with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent and where at least a third of the population lives more than a mile from a supermarket or large grocery store.
How Does Food Insecurity Happen?
Chicago residents effected?
19%
Chicago Metro Area
29%
Latinx Communities
37%
Black Communities
What does this mean for the people living in Englewood?
Growing up in Englewood has not been the easiest experience. As a child, you experience so much so fast. From hunger to loneliness to violence, it felt like the problems came often...The opportunity to consume fresh fruits and vegetables is not something that I am used to. I feel sometimes that I don’t deserve it because no one has cared to offer it to us consistently.
Our Pledge
Feed. Create. Fuel
Our Offerings
Dream Deliveries stabilizes quality and access by offering fresh produce straight to the doorstep of the Chicagoland residents that it serves. Being environmentally conscious, Dream Deliveries is consistent in reducing waste by sending packaged pre-measured fruits and vegetables to households in need & struggling with food security. Our delivery services provide underserved families with 5 days worth of healthy food options for consumption, immediately moving a household from food insecure to food secure. Since its inception, Dream Deliveries has provided more than 170,000 lbs of fresh produce to the doorstep of nearly 2100 residents every week.
Dream Fridge is our introductory response to Englewood’s food desert status, poverty rates, and lack of fresh grocery options. The community fridge is open Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm, offering fresh fruits, vegetables, and water to residents. Since its inception, Project Dream Fridge has provided more than 35,550 lbs of fresh food and water across the equivalent of 14,250 meals. With an average of 118 servings of 283 lbs. of food and a weekly cost of $550, the Dream Fridge is a well-received offering.
COMING SOON!
Dream Vault tests the possibility of even greater scale in the fight against food insecurity, using cutting-edge logistics, delivery and destination solutions.
The Dream Vault is a wifi-enabled locker that customers can access biweekly with a unique electronic code to get a Dream Delivery box of fresh groceries containing five days worth of pre-measured fruits and vegetables.
Dream Team members stock 25 lockers daily, with each set of lockers having the potential to provide food security to almost 200 households within a 1-mile radius - that's a staggering 78,000 lbs of fresh food every year per vault!
More information on this exciting new offering coming soon!
Our Impact
Making a Real Difference
Established
Administered
Distributed
