Kennedy-King College students now have what many Englewood residents have been craving for years: a small supermarket right on campus where fresh produce, meat, dairy, and household essentials do not cost a dime. The revamped Statesmen Market is designed to make getting groceries feel like a normal shopping trip, not a handout, in a neighborhood where nearby full-service stores are scarce.
As part of its Food Security for Life initiative, City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository held a ribbon-cutting for the redesigned Statesmen Market in early February. The former campus pantry has been converted into a larger, grocery-style space that offers shelf staples, nutritionally balanced frozen meals to go, and basic household goods for students and their families at no cost, according to City Colleges of Chicago. The project, backed by funders including Knight Impact Partners, was deliberately designed to reduce the stigma that often comes with using a traditional food pantry.
A grocery-style market on campus
The market sits in the V Building at 6301 S. Halsted St. in Englewood, laid out with aisles, coolers, and grab-and-go options so students can swing through between classes, as reported by CBS Chicago. City Colleges officials say the Statesmen Market will be open roughly 40 hours each week, a schedule meant to catch students whether they are on early-morning runs to campus or staying late.
Free food, with rules to make it last
According to the Chicago Tribune, the market is open to all City Colleges students, who can shop once per week. To keep shelves from emptying too quickly, there are limits on high-demand items like meat, yogurt cups, and fresh fruit so supplies can stretch further. The Tribune also reports that the Greater Chicago Food Depository delivers about 4,000 pounds of food to the site every week, and student Tiara Davis told the paper, "Being able to choose food items is the best thing about the market."
Why it matters and what’s next
College leaders say the market is a response to a broader crisis. A 2024 City Colleges survey found that about half of respondents across the system identified as food insecure, with Kennedy-King students reporting even higher levels. The goal is straightforward: if students are not worrying about where dinner is coming from, they are more likely to stay enrolled and focus on their coursework.
Per the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the long game is to roll out similar enhanced markets at all seven City Colleges campuses and bolster on-site help with benefits, including SNAP enrollment.
Students who want to shop the Statesmen Market can check posted hours at the campus Wellness Center. Organizers say volunteers and staff are on hand to help with benefit applications and to make sure the market feels like a stable, long-term resource rather than a short-term fix.
