Gail Robinson packed up boxes of produce and canned goods in the auditorium of Woodlawn’s First Presbyterian Church as waves of asylum seekers and residents perused shelves stocked with free groceries. 

“The face of the food market has changed as far as the clientele,” Robinson observed.

The director of the weekly Free Food Market at 6400 S. Kimbark Ave., Robinson said that volunteers have noticed a sharp increase in demand this fall as more migrants are resettled into temporary shelters and apartments in the community. 

Open every Thursday for more than a decade, the market served between 120 and 150 people per week for most of this past year, Robinson said. But for the last two months, this number has risen to almost 200 people per week. Many of these new patrons, she noted, are families.

“The housing we have for migrants for the Woodlawn area are single occupancy, which are single people with no children,” Robinson said. “So when we see a family coming in, that tells us they’re settled in the neighborhood.”

There’s also been an increase in longtime residents from Woodlawn, South Shore and Chatham, most of whom work full-time but still struggle to afford food. 

“The economy is just crazy. To go to the grocery store, it’s not affordable” Robinson said. “It’s just catching up to people.” 

Fortunately for market volunteers – a mix of adults and local high school students – as demand increases, so too does supply. The Greater Chicago Food Depository, which supplies the market, has sent more produce, non-perishables and meats to meet the growing need.

As the vast majority of the new arrivals settled around the mid-South Side are from Venezuela, the market has also expanded its offerings, such as rice, tortillas and beans.

Raúl Hernández and Yessika Marcano were shopping at the market for the first time with their 5-year-old daughter, Imkarly, on Thursday, Oct. 26. 

“It’s perfect,” said Hernández, adding that the couple found a number of items for themselves and their daughter. “We’re very grateful.”

The two said they had learned about the market earlier this month, when they passed by the church and ran into a friend waiting outside. “He told us that here they offer help to immigrants,” Hernández recalled.

Hernández arrived in Chicago from Caracas, Venezuela last September and lived in a city-run shelter before moving to an apartment in South Shore. His wife and daughter joined him in Chicago six months ago. 

Several new arrivals living in local city-run migrant shelters, such as the Lake Shore Hotel, 4900B S. Lake Shore Dr., said they patronize the market for a wider variety of food than the city provides.  

Irene Nolen, a 13-year Woodlawn resident who has frequented the market for the last 10 years, said she only attends intermittently, recognizing the growing demand. 

“If I don’t need the depository, I don’t come,” she said. “I know there’s greater needs out here.” 

She stressed the need for the market, saying grocery chains in the area have gotten increasingly cost prohibitive in recent years. 

“The prices are going up and up and up, and a lot of families can’t afford to go to Jewels,” Nolen said.  “So the community really appreciates (the market) being here.” 

Translation provided by Free Food Market volunteer Br. Pedro Mira.