A new food pantry has opened inside the Legler Regional Library in West Garfield Park, marking the first time a public library in Chicago has hosted such a facility. The initiative is part of the city’s new Library-Based Food Access program and is a collaboration between the City of Chicago, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Chicago Public Library.
The pantry, located at 115 S. Pulaski Road, officially launched its expanded services on Thursday after operating with limited hours since July 2025. According to city officials, it currently serves about 600 households each month in an area identified as one of Chicago’s most food-insecure neighborhoods.
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown spoke at the grand opening event: “The pantry prioritizes dignity, consistency [and] reliable access to food,” Brown said. “Not only are we expanding what a library can offer, but we’re exemplifying [Mayor Brandon Johnson’s] whole government approach to Chicago.”
The pantry operates from 4-7 p.m. on Thursdays and from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays. It provides rotating selections of protein sources, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, pantry staples, prepackaged meals, and household items like toothpaste and shampoo. The Greater Chicago Food Depository helps stock these shelves.
During distribution hours, community partners also offer hygiene kits supplied by the Chicago Police Department as well as children’s books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and health education resources provided by Rush University Medical Center.
According to library officials, this is only the second such project nationwide; Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library hosts a similar effort called Pratt Free Market.
West Garfield Park has faced challenges accessing healthy foods following several grocery store closures in recent years—including an Aldi that shut down abruptly in 2021. In response to these shortages and while financing for a replacement development is still being finalized—with selection for Low Income Housing Tax Credits expected in March—community organizations have set up temporary pop-up groceries in the neighborhood.
“Bringing the full service food pantry into this neighborhood is what responsive government looks like,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at the event. “It meets people where they are. It supports healthier outcomes for children, seniors and working families. This partnership is a clear statement of our commitment to the West Side and to the people who have always made this community strong.”
In addition to food assistance, Legler Regional Library continues to provide mental health resources as well as programs for youth engagement, artists-in-residence opportunities, and lifelong learning activities.
