College Market Offers Students Fresh Food for Free in an Area With Limited Grocery Options

The market opened in February through a partnership between City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Kennedy-King College students Mo’Hogney Mitchell, left, and Makayla Hurtado shop Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at the Statesmen Market, an expanded on-campus food pantry in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

By Zareen Syed Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO—The Statesmen Market at Kennedy-King College in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood looks and feels like a regular grocery store. Students come in, pick up a cart or basket, and swivel through the aisles, adding apples, noodles, potatoes, and milk to their haul. But only students can shop here, and everything is free.