truck driver

manager

production assistant

operations associate

philanthropy manager

Greater Chicago Food Depository

My driving job at the Greater Chicago Food Depository is by far the most rewarding of all the jobs over the years that I've worked. The best men and women to work with, including the drivers, helpers, warehouse workers, management, and maintenance make this a very rewarding place to work This organization thrives on TEAMWORK. A typical day at work is picking up food at local grocery stores and donors, loading food pallets on the truck and delivering the food to agencies, churches, soup kitchens, etc..Also deliver products we buy wholesale or donated to us from corporations, and food distributors. A very rewarding job to say the least.The most enjoyable part of the job for me is working with all the good people at GCFD and at the delivery stops who appreciate what we do feeding the hungry people in all of Cook County and the greater Chicago area..I've learned by putting in a hard day's work can and is very fulfilling.The hardest part of the job is loading and unloading full pallets of food sometimes up to 2300-2500 pounds each. Most are less than that on average. The other hard part is performing these tasks during inclement weather ie snow sleet and rain. But overall with the fine trucks, which are kept in excellent running order and maintained to the highest standard and helpers we have, not too many complaints! The workplace culture is just keeping people fed who really need this food for survival. It's satisfying just to hear a thank you from people who truly appreciate what our organisation does for the community.Management at GCFD has the pulse of how to treat their employees. Great benefits, super clean working environment, and friendliness with a team of awesome people working for a cause that is very satisfying!   "No one goes hungry!"  AND we have employee days quarterly where we go to the agencies and churches and the entire organization goes out to the sites designated and we personally hand out and distribute the food to the customers. We then come back to the GCFD and have lunch and awards to the best employees and seminars on how to improve and help the GCFD be a better organization to the community.

Lots of paid days off especially holidays and vacation/sick days off. The Health benefits are great. The hours are really stable with a minimum of 40 hours being guaranteed every week. Most of the staff is friendly and treats each other with respect. 
Warehouse roles become super easy depending on your work experience. Order picking can be annoying as the company uses older software but it's easy to get used to. Order pickers are expected to work in dry/refrigerated/frozen environments without extra pay for working in 40 degree or -15 degree environments. 
As long as you show up to work is almost impossible to get fired from this organization. Lazy employees receive very little push to improve their work performance while fast and good employees end up having to pick up their slack. 
One good thing about this organization is that you can be an average employee, get your hours in and don't have to exceed any expectations. If you are a good employee the job will be super easy.
If you want to go above and beyond its fine but do not expect to get paid much more for that unless you're trying to move into a different role in the organization. 

Supervisors never take accountability for anything there’s always a pointfinger to blame. You tell them one thing then they start twisting words around trying to tick you instead of just being upfront and straight forward. It’s really weird. They micro manage and gossip a lot. The favoritism is predictable. The pettiness is noticeable and the disrespect is really concerning. I hope those that stay here are only doing so for the time being. They don’t rotate workers from freezer to fridge to dry. So if you’re someone they hate you’ll be in the freezer 100% of the time until you quit. Fridge is heavy but you get the same amount of product that dry gets. And dry is easy. But they expect the fridge guys to finish. They expect you to count but that’s not your job . You can go home. Don’t let them tell you otherwise. 

The Greater Chicago Food Depository is a beacon of hope in the fight against hunger, but internal challenges mar its effectiveness. While its mission to nourish communities is commendable, reports of toxic senior leadership tarnish its reputation. Micromanagement, lack of transparency, and a culture of fear hinder staff morale and productivity. This disconnect between leadership vision and staff experience threatens the organization's integrity and ability to enact meaningful change. However, there is hope for improvement. By addressing these issues head-on and fostering a healthier work environment, the GCFD can reclaim its position as a trusted nonprofit and continue making a positive impact in the community.

What is the best part of working at the company?
They are pretty fair to their employees and offer growth opportunity With Training certification on the job!!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you get plenty of rest and come to work on time pretty much a people person you shouldn’t have a stressful day anywhere in life!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It’s pretty busy with a combination of employees and volunteers with lots of knowledge And respect for each others

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Making sure that the products coming in get out to the people that need it fast and safe food with a smile

The management were tyrannical, the pay was inadequate, and you are frequently expected to "volunteer" to work at events but not get paid, and you don't get overtime. 

There is an atmosphere of fear. You feel like any attempts to speak up and be proactive are shot down by management, and your job is constantly under threat. You are expected to do the work of three people, and are underpaid. 

There is NO accommodation for disabilities. 

Shady work practices on behalf of management. 

Overall, looks good on the surface, lousy to actually work there.

I helped assist in producing over 3,500 meals per day for the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Kid’s Café program. Everyday I learned something new from not only my fellow coworkers but also from the students that went there to get their ServSafe sanitation license. The most enjoyable part of my job was packaging the nutritious food that the employee students had prepared for the after school programs.

Excellent mission and service to the community.  Poor leadership/management and workplace culture.  I served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and then transitioned to full-time work with this organization.  During both experiences, my interaction with leadership was disappointing.  If you enjoy authoritative leadership with no room for growth, this is the place for you.

typically, we worked sorting and packing many products; everything from canned foods to toiletries. as a volunteer, I didn't get paid but I did learn how to work certain machines and how to effectively pack and store things. I learned how to work with foods that I was allergic to and I learned how to be a team member

My experience was productive and skillful, I learned new things such as building orders onto pallets by manually lifting and placing products weighting up wards of 50 pounds. Ensuring accuracy in handling loads, whether in coming or out going. I also learned how to check loads for signs of infestation, damage, time temperature abuse and code dates; applying food safety standards .

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 9 salaries reported	$23.50 per hour
Manager 5 salaries reported	$70,200 per year
Production assistant 2 salaries reported	$21.30 per hour
Operations associate 6 salaries reported	$21.30 per hour
Philanthropy manager 6 salaries reported	$99,750 per year

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