Community News & Blog Posts

In South Lawndale, Latinos Progresando has been planning for years to transform a vacant, old city library building into a community center. But when the pandemic hit, the group's focus shifted immediately. "We had to stop, because at that time we had to make sure the families in our community had what they needed to survive," said Luis Gutierrez, the founder and CEO of Latinos Progresando. On Thursday, We Rise ...

As Chicagoans try to survive the economic disruption of a yearlong shutdown, these kinds of creative new ventures may be blossoming. Of course, side hustles and microentrepreneurship existed before the pandemic, especially among undocumented immigrants and others who have difficulty finding regular employment. But in the past year local experts say they’ve witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of people selling food or products from their homes.  

To help ease the increased needs of Illinoisans during the COVID-19 pandemic, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) awarded the Little Village Community Foundation – Cocina Rx a $20,000 grant as part of BCBSIL’s $1.5 million COVID-19 Community Collaboration Fund. Black and brown communities most affected by COVID-19 will now be able to experience Lifestyle Medicine recommendations such as “food as medicine” chef-prepared meals and fresh local groceries ...

Recognizing the importance of Chicago’s neighborhood minority-owned retailers to implement COVID-19 safety measures, FourStar Branding, a Chicago creative branding and marketing firm providing small businesses and nonprofits access to top blue-chip services, created the “Protect To Respect” PSA campaign urging people to wear masks. The firm partnered with the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, the Little Village Community Foundation, Food He.ro, 1871 and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. This ...

Xquina Incubator will create an open, accessible and inclusive learning environment that provides bilingual, adaptable training and coaching for current and emerging businesses, working-class residents, media professionals and local youth. Little Village Community Foundation has identified several core partners toward this purpose. They include the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, State of Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and FourStar Branding, as well as local universities, to provide technical business support, ...