Volunteers at an Englewood community center showed up to work and found their freezer wiped clean, their supplies gone, and their neighbors stunned. Overnight, someone had broken into the Block Academy and walked off with food and essentials meant for kids and families. The hit landed squarely on the Tiny Kitchen Project, the volunteer-run effort that cooks up dozens of meals a day, leaving organizers scrambling to replace what was stolen. Tamar Manasseh, the activist who founded Mothers Against Senseless Killings, said the timing could not be worse for the block.
As reported by Block Club Chicago, Manasseh said the burglar grabbed diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, a speaker, and every bit of frozen food the kitchen had stocked for daily meals, including chicken tenders, legs, and wings. “Someone broke in and cleaned us out,” she told the outlet. With the freezer empty, volunteers could not send care packages to students at Harvard Elementary. Organizers said the Block Academy plans to reopen and resume serving meals on Thursday, with local restaurant Flippin Flavors stepping up to donate platters of sandwiches to help the kitchen limp through the rest of the week.
Block Academy's role
The Block Academy is one piece of a broader push by Mothers Against Senseless Killings, often known as MASK, to cover everyday gaps for neighbors at the corner of 75th and Stewart. The center offers meals, tutoring, and short-term childcare, all rooted in years of street-level organizing and partnerships with local groups. The Cook County Land Bank Authority has previously pointed to MASK’s work turning a vacant lot into a community space, and WBEZ and other local outlets have documented how Manasseh and a crew of volunteers built the corner into a daily hub where children can eat and play while parents head to work.
Neighbors, activists respond
Neighbors and volunteers said the break-in landed on a neighborhood already stretched thin and anxious about safety. Manasseh took to Facebook and TikTok with video messages urging people to cut out the violence near the center. Fox 32 Chicago noted that the burglary came on the heels of a shooting earlier this month in the 300 block of West 75th Street, which organizers said was at least the third near the site in recent weeks. Manasseh has already installed private cameras and pressed city officials for stronger protections around the facility.
What comes next
In the wake of the theft, volunteers are lining up drop-offs to replace perishables and stitch the program back together. Supporters say they are counting on neighbors, restaurants, and longtime partners to keep pitching in. A previous break-in at the group in 2020 sparked quick donations from the community and helped MASK get its programs back online, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Organizers say the latest theft is one more reminder of how fragile neighborhood food programs can be and are asking anyone with information about the burglary to contact police.
