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Community Dinner - Always Vegan

The Love Fridge

ROGERS PARK BRUNCH RESTAURANT FILLS LOCAL LOVE FRIDGE WITH RICE, BEANS, LENTILS, CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES TO HELP NEIGHBORS CREATE MEALS AT HOME

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Smack Dab, the independent, queer woman-owned brunch restaurant in Rogers Park, recently brought its team and volunteers together for a Day of Service focused on one simple goal: getting nourishing food directly into the hands of neighbors who need it.

Led by Erin, Smack Dab volunteers spent Wednesday packing 350 pounds of rice, beans and lentils, 80 pounds of fresh chicken, and 60 pounds of frozen vegetables before loading the food into a nearby Love Fridge.

Altogether, the team prepared nearly 500 pounds of food for community members to take home and turn into meals of their own.

FOOD SECURITY DOESN’T ALWAYS LOOK THE WAY PEOPLE EXPECT

While Smack Dab hopes to return to providing a hot meal during a future service day, the team saw something especially meaningful in offering ingredients that could become multiple meals.

“There is something very cool about providing that many items for folks to take home and cook multiple meals from,” said Smack Dab co-owner Teeny. “Food insecurity takes many forms. Most people who go to the Love Fridge have the means to cook. They just often don’t have enough food in those kitchens to cook with.”

The approach allowed the Day of Service to extend beyond a single meal, providing proteins, vegetables and pantry staples that individuals and families could use in ways that worked for their own households.

NEARLY 500 POUNDS OF FOOD, MADE POSSIBLE BY COMMUNITY SUPPORT

The food, packaging and labor for the Day of Service cost approximately $550, an investment Smack Dab views as part of its ongoing commitment to Rogers Park and the surrounding community.

Community members can help make future service projects possible by contributing to Smack Dab’s Mutual Fund, or by adding a donation to their order when dining with Smack Dab.

For the restaurant, the Day of Service was not intended to be a one-time event.

“We can’t wait to do another one,” Teeny said. “Hopefully we’ll be back with a hot meal next month, but this was such a powerful reminder that sometimes helping means giving people the ingredients and letting them decide what they need.”

A CHICAGO BRUNCH SPOT BUILT AROUND COMMUNITY

Smack Dab has long approached food as more than something served across a counter. Its work in Rogers Park is rooted in the belief that a neighborhood restaurant can also be a place where people connect, support one another and show up when their community needs them.

That same community-centered approach runs through the restaurant’s broader work, from Chicago brunch to Chicago Catering for offices, organizations, celebrations and community gatherings, as well as Private Events hosted at its Rogers Park location.

The successful Day of Service offered another example of what that commitment can look like in practice: volunteers working side by side, hundreds of pounds of food packed and distributed, and a neighborhood resource filled with ingredients ready to become meals.

Smack Dab plans to continue exploring future Days of Service and other opportunities to support food access within the community.

HOW TO SUPPORT

Those interested in helping fund future community food efforts can donate to the Smack Dab Mutual Fund available on their website or add a donation directly to their Smack Dab order.

ABOUT SMACK DAB

Smack Dab is an independent, queer woman-owned brunch restaurant in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Known for its welcoming approach, scratch-made food, inclusive menu options and deep commitment to community, Smack Dab works to create a space where good food and taking care of people go hand in hand.

In addition to its neighborhood brunch service, Smack Dab provides catering for offices, organizations and gatherings, and offers its Rogers Park space for private events.

Teeny Forrester
Smack Dab Chicago
+1 (872) 241-9111
email us here