# The Legler Regional Library Pantry Opening 1.22.26

- Date: January 22, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 27:04
- Topic: Openings and groundbreakings
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTBlTKG9D7o)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,419 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/uTBlTKG9D7o.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=0) Welcome and introduction
- [3:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=211) Library services overview
- [7:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=440) Addressing systemic inequity
- [10:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=651) Partnership and impact
- [15:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=904) Community perspective
- [19:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1151) Q&A and closing remarks

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Legler Regional Library Pantry Opening.

## Transcript

[1:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=106) Make sure the mic is on. Can you hear me? Yes, I am. That's a good thing. Good morning. I'm Linda Johnson Rice. I have the honor and privilege of being president of the Chicago Public Library Board, and I'm here to welcome you to the Legler branch on the west side of Chicago and West Garfield Park, serving all the constituents in West Garfield Park, and we're so excited this morning to talk about our partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository because in this very branch, we have a food pantry,

[2:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=141) which is incredible, and we're serving all the families and all the constituents and customers and all the people in this area with our food pantry, and it's so exciting to have that collaboration with another organization in the city of Chicago, and we have great partnerships, and so I just wanted to welcome everybody, and we're going to eventually, I think take a quick tour and a brief tour but I really wanted to say how important this is and how meaningful it is that we are able to serve the community not just as a library but

[2:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=176) also as a safe harbor for the community and it means so very much to the community and believe me it means so very much to us who work so hard in the libraries and I know the team here at Legler does an incredible job, and so I just really wanted to take this morning and welcome everybody, and please stay warm, because we do live in Chicago, and so just, you know, get ready. Get ready. And with that being said, I'm going to introduce our commissioner, Chris Brown, and he's going

[3:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=209) to say a few words for us. I'm going to go to my seat. Good morning, everybody. Thank you for all being here, and thank you, President Johnson-Rice, for your over 10 years of service to our Chicago Public Library Board 12. She's counting, yes. Thank you. And really thank you to all of our partners, our staff, our city leaders, Alderman Irvin, and

[3:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=239) members of this community who are here to celebrate this creative partnership with a civic institution to figure out how to better feed our Chicagoans. At the Chicago Public Library, we think a lot about how our buildings serve people every day. We offer over 1.9 million square feet of city neighborhood space. Libraries are inclusive spaces where all voices belong on our shelves and all people are welcome in our doors. But we're also trusted spaces for reading,

[4:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=273) learning, creativity, and connection where people can access support that not only strengthens their opportunity, but also their health and their wellness. The Legler Regional Library shows how these roles can come together in one place. As our president of our board mentioned, we now support food access alongside mental health care. Thank you, Mayor Brandon Johnson, for that. And artists, residents. program ken cook thank you for being our artist in residence youth programming creative spaces

[5:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=306) a digital navigator and teacher in the library provided by our library foundation thank you president brendan langstrap buoy and team and as was mentioned our weather we are a cooling and warming center very important in chicago when these services live together in a trusted space access becomes easier and our barriers are removed, which matters so much in a neighborhood and on the west side where food services can prove challenging at times. Families can now take care of multiple needs in one visit, learning, and food equity. And as has been

[5:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=344) mentioned, this partnership has been created with Greater Chicago Food Depository, but it's not a new partnership. For years, Kate Mayer, CEO and team have been working with us to provide food access through our libraries, thousands of meals through our branches over the summer and out of school time snacks. In just the first eight weeks, this partnership served over 700 families providing them with food from a library.

[6:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=376) Today, it serves on average over 600 households per month. And the library is proud to be the second public library in the nation to operate a small but mighty fully functional food pantry. The pantry prioritizes dignity, consistency, reliable access to food. And again, I want to thank Greater Chicago Food Depository, CEO Kate Mayer. I also want to thank our library frontline staff who helped operate and organize the pantry.

[6:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=408) I want to thank our partners at the Department of Infrastructure 2FM, Commissioner Julie Hernandez-Tomlin and Team, and Deputy Mayor Lori Lipson for all the work to prepare the space that can make this food pantry possible. Because not only are we expanding what a library can offer, but we're exemplifying, Mayor, your charge, to be a whole-of-government approach to Chicago. And so now it's my honor to welcome and introduce the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson.

[7:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=445) Well, thank you, Commissioner Brown, and good morning, everyone. Good morning. I'm grateful to be with you all, truly honored to be with you all today. I do want to thank, again, Commissioner Brown and the entire staff of the public library. What this library system is doing in Chicago is really second to none. I mean, we're literally doing everything at the Legler Library. And, of course, you know, we have to have strong partners at the city level. Chairman Jason Irvin, thank you for your leadership. Of course, you're going to hear from the CEO of the Chicago Food Depository, Kate Mayer,

[7:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=476) who has just been an incredible champion as we address food insecurity throughout our entire city and the entire region. And everyone who made today possible. For too long, neighborhoods like West Garfield Park have experienced intentional and systemic disinvestment, investment. Decisions that stripped communities of access to healthy food and quality health care, strong schools, and real economic opportunity have gone on for way too long. But when those essentials are taken away, families are left making impossible choices, navigating barriers

[8:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=510) just to meet basic needs that every Chicagoan really deserves. As a city, we have a personal responsibility to tell the truth about that history, because it's important that we take responsibility to prepare it. That means moving beyond acknowledgement and committing ourselves to sustain community-centered investment, investment rooted in dignity, equity, and of course, most of all, justice. And that work begins by listening, and listening when residents tell us that they need fresh, affordable food close to home, and listening when families say they need

[9:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=545) trusted spaces that care for the whole person. And there's no better trusted space than the library. And I'm grateful that we have a strong president and leader, President Johnson Rice, who has just been a quality example of what it means to represent the soul of Chicago. And that's why the public library represents, again, the very best of our public institutions. When we listen deeply and act with urgency, we build systems that actually serve the interests of people. Bringing the full-service food pantry into this neighborhood is what responsive government looks like.

[9:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=580) It meets people where they are. It supports healthier outcomes for children, seniors, and working families. This partnership is a clear statement of our commitment to the West Side and to the people who have always made this community strong, even in the face of disinvestment. Investments like this strengthen neighborhoods, and it helps restore trust in institutions that exist to serve the public good. Because we know food access is directly connected to better learning, better health, workforce stability, and long-term opportunity,

[10:10](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=610) it's why it's that much more critical that these investments actually manifest. And when families have what they need to thrive, communities don't just survive. They grow stronger and more resilient. And that is why I'm so proud to stand with you all today to celebrate this important investment. I want to thank the Chicago Public Library, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, for your leadership, your partnership, and most of all, your belief in what is possible when we listen to communities and when we invest in them. And so now it is truly my honor to welcome our partner.

[10:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=642) We have seen a lot of each other lately, but it's been for good reason. So please give her a nice west side welcome. the CEO of the Chicago Food Depository, Ms. Kate Perry. Thank you, Mayor Johnson. We have spent a lot of time together over the last few months, and that is a testament to your leadership and showing up and lifting your voice and helping all of us lift our voice.

[11:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=672) So I'm so grateful for your leadership. Commissioner Brown, you have been a longtime friend and partner in this work, and I'm grateful for you hosting us here today. Board President Johnson Rice, thank you for kicking us off, Alderman Irvin. And all of you, it is a privilege to be in this beautiful, welcoming space with all of you today. Some of you heard that when I pulled up this morning, I was trying to get myself organized

[11:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=703) and trying to figure out if I was parking in the right space. And there was a television news truck that was pulling up too. and as I was pausing a gentleman was walking down the sidewalk and he stopped and came over to me and he looked at me and he said what's going on here today and I smiled and I said oh there's a celebration happening today we are celebrating opening a food pantry and he nodded started to

[12:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=740) walk, and then came back, and he said, you know, actually, that food pantry's been open. Fair point. And then he paused again, and he said, you know, it's a really good pantry. I'm going to remember that conversation for a long time. This is not just about barely meeting

[12:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=779) a basic human need. This has been a partnership, as Commissioner Brown said, for a long time, because we believe in this beautiful city, and we have the audacity to believe that food is not a luxury food and beautiful public spaces access to books and information

[13:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=812) these are all in fact rights this these are justice issues and it takes all of us coming together in a commitment to show up for our neighbors all of them i am so proud of our city I am so proud of this partnership. We may be the second food pantry in a public library, but I can guarantee you we are the best. And this is only the beginning.

[14:05](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=845) So I just want to say, like Commissioner Brown, there have been a lot of people involved in this work, and I want to particularly call out Maggie Clemens, who is one of my heroes. Alongside Maggie is Shiloh Jefferson and Esmeralda Bueno. Some of you know me, and I have failed hugely in life because I may lead a food bank, but what I wanted to be when I grew up was a librarian.

[14:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=875) And I didn't succeed in that, but I've done the next best thing, which is having an extraordinary partnership with the most amazing librarians and library system in the entire country. So I am grateful for your leadership. I am grateful for your willingness to say yes and to lean into this work to ensure that we are all there for the amazing. Men, women, and children in this beautiful city. Thank you. It is now my privilege to get to introduce our alderman, Alderman Irvin, to come up and say a few remarks.

[15:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=917) Good morning and thank you. It was about seven years ago that we started a conversation around Legler Library and it being a greater community space. It was actually Ernest Sawyer, who is the brother of our former mayor, who talked about, actually advocated against at the time, which was selling a piece of art that's in this building to fund the renovation of Legler Library.

[15:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=950) He calls me to take a real deep dive and to look and to say, you're right. Why do we have to sell assets on the west side to get better for our community? Kind of took me back to when we closed a bunch of schools in the name of better. From that conversation, we went and found a trough of resources. And I think that where we are today was nowhere I could have believed that we would be. The fact that we have mental health services here, the fact that we have the artisan residency here, the fact that we do so many things around this community base right out of this particular building.

[16:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=991) This is the regional library, not only for West Garfield Park, but for the entirety of the west side of Chicago. And it has been a beacon of leadership in our library system. If you come here on an average day, you will see individuals who may not be in the best shape in life, but they're getting the assistance that they need. This food bank also meets an additional need that we see in the West Garfield Park community. So I want to thank the Chicago Greater Food Depository for their assistance and their partnership here.

[17:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1024) I want to thank Commissioner Brown and the library for keeping an open door here. And I also want to thank President Johnson Rice. I actually just sent you two new board members so you all could be full on yesterday. But, yes, all of these people have been working together to build, again, for West Garfield Park. As the mayor talked about, and I always believe this, one of the most disinvested communities in our city. So we want to thank Mayor Johnson for his assistance and his help bringing additional resources to the table.

[17:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1055) Like I said, if you told me seven years ago this building, this space would be what it is to this community today, I would not have believed it. But through the hard work, innovation, thinking outside of the box, making the library more than just a place that we come periodically to bring my daughter. I thought I was going to be reading it. That's why I have the sweater on. But this has been a beacon of hope and a beacon of safety and just that light on the hill that we all need in our community today.

[18:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1086) So, again, thank you to everyone that made this possible. And I look forward to greater partnerships in this community with the library leading the helm. Thank you. Okay, I was about to say, there's nothing else on here. Mayor Johnson. Commissioner Brown, do you want to talk about that?

[18:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1120) Yeah, this opened last summer. This last summer. The first number of weeks were over about 700 families were served in the first few weeks. I'm hoping we'll continue to explore how this model can be expanded. All of our neighborhoods are very different, though. It's a polite way of saying that the budget for 2027 conversation has already started. Yeah, yeah, there you go. That was very diplomatic, Commissioner.

[19:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1152) Well done. Good morning. Go on remote, are we going to see meal being provided for children who do not go to school?

[19:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1185) Because obviously we all understand that school is a safety zone for some children. That's right. Sometimes you only know what they get for the day. Yeah. Yeah, well, thank you for that question. As far as our school district is concerned, we're having conversations now as we meet in this space. And I will have an announcement a little bit later on today as far as what decision we'll make with the school district. Clearly, these circumstances are quite extreme right now with our weather. and there were three lobbyists in my home this morning who put in their opinion on what they think that I should do,

[20:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1223) so for whatever that's worth. But as far as beyond that, our chief homelessness officer is here about some of the services that we are providing during some extreme situations. Chief Soto, you want to just add more context to that? Good morning, everybody. Sandy Soto, chief homelessness officer for the city of Chicago. Congratulations to the library. Wow, this is incredible. and incredible for our unsheltered population. We have initiated the warming center plan for our unsheltered population as well.

[20:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1254) The Salvation Army, actually, the Freedom Center opened up its doors 24-7 for the next few days, providing meals and also activating, as they do, their mobile meal program, as well as the DFSS community service centers are active, and we've sent remote calls to our senior services recipients, letting them know what their options are. And, of course, we have libraries, we have parks, police stations that are operating 24-7 if people want to go indoors.

[21:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1285) Our facilities, specifically centered for our unsheltered population, are operating also with meal service, the Shelter Placement and Resource Center that's on Halstead and Ogden around that area will be providing, of course, services, forming centers, but it's also a place to wait for shelter. So if there is somebody seeking shelter, they can visit SPARC or call 311 and wait there while they're being assigned a shelter. So a lot of different services and programs are activated

[21:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1318) when we're talking to the county and to our partners in the suburban areas as well in terms of what their plans are. Thank you. Commissioner, you want to talk about that? Thank you. In terms of city costs, I think there was some minimal updating costs to the actual physical

[22:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1349) space that we do in partnership with our Department of Infrastructure. Our staff do programming all throughout the year, and so it's utilizing the current time that they would provide to any responsive neighborhood programming. So whether it's like literary events or working with other partners on entertainment or out-of-school time programming, that's part of how we utilize our staff. And then, Kate, if you want to say anything about Greater Chicago Food Depository resources.

[23:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1384) Thank you for the question. All of the food, as it is for all of our partners, is made available at no cost. So the food depository, in this case, we buy much of the food, and we deliver that food at no cost to the partner. So there is, thankfully, generous community of philanthropic support here in Chicago that makes this possible.

[23:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1425) Thank you for the question, and I will say part of my joy of being here today is in awareness of the challenges in the world at this moment, and part of why I've had the opportunity to be with the mayor so frequently. A year ago, if we would have been together, I would have told you that there were many people in this community who are facing hunger. On July 4th, the President of the United States signed a bill that will have a significant impact

[24:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1457) and is ultimately already increasing that number because what that bill did is it began to dismantle what has been historically in this country the single most important response to food insecurity, and that is the SNAP program, what we sometimes refer to as food stamps. Those changes have begun to happen already. So there are people in our community today who are now losing their food stamps. And come February 1, just a few days away, there is another big cliff where people will begin to go on a time clock that will end on May 1.

[25:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1500) And we anticipate as many as 120,000 people in Cook County will lose their SNAP benefits, period. I will tell you, I am proud of the amazing resilient food pantries all across this community. Not just here, but we have 800 partners in Cook County, and they do amazing work. This pantry is gorgeous. but charity cannot fill this gap and I would say that part of the joy of being here is knowing that

[25:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o?t=1538) not only do we nourish bodies but I hope we also open eyes and help our entire community to understand as I said earlier this is a justice issue we have to lift our voice I look forward to a day where libraries can be about books but don't necessarily have to be about keeping people warm and keeping people fed. Thank you.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uTBlTKG9D7o · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt