While running a support group for LGBTQ+ people at the community-service organization Nourishing Hope, Drew Moran experienced first-hand the transformative power of bringing people together.
After working within the organization for more than a decade, Moran recently became its chief development officer and will help build a new strategic vision to increase Nourishing Hope’s funding by 5% year over year beginning in 2025.
“The direct benefit of our work is that so many people now have food on the table, but the other benefit is that we’re building a community of altruism,” said Moran, who was awarded Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30 award in 2015. “We’re working together and getting to know each other in this siloed world we live in.”
Moran started volunteering at Nourishing Hope in 2012, when it was called Lakeview Food Pantry and its main focus was providing food to people on the North Side of Chicago. Since then, Moran has seen Nourishing Hope expand its reach to provide a wider array of resources to people throughout the entire city.
Lakeview Food Pantry was founded in 1970 and its name changed to Nourishing Hope in May 2022. In addition to its food pantries, Nourishing Hope offers free mental health counseling, housing assistance and job search support. As part of this work, Nourishing Hope helps people navigate government assistance programs, connects people with other local organizations and provides small grants to meet people’s immediate needs.
“We try to provide these small, supportive services that actually make a huge impact in people’s lives, alongside mental health services and free food,” Moran explained. “That allows us to provide a holistic approach.”
Over the next five years, Nourishing Hope plans to continue expanding to serve 30% more households by strengthening partnerships with other organizations on the South and West Sides of the city. The organization also intends to increase its revenue by 5% every year for the next five years, which is one of Moran’s main responsibilities in his new role.
Nourishing Hope has a long history of serving the LGBTQ+ community since its first location is in Lakeview East. A significant portion of Nourishing Hope’s clients identify as queer, including about 40% of the people receiving free mental health care, Moran said.
“As an out leader of the organization, I can say Nourishing Hope is not just accepting, but celebratory of the LGBTQ+ community and all its manifestations,” Moran said.
People can request LGBTQ+ therapists at Nourishing Hope, so they can be paired with licensed clinicians who understand their experiences. The organization also regularly partners with queer-led organizations, like Howard Brown Health, Broadway Youth Center and Center on Halsted, to connect their clients with other resources in the community.
Since Moran began volunteering at Nourishing Hope in 2012, he’s filled several roles at the nonprofit and played an instrumental role in launching new services to better meet clients’ needs, from free mental health support to an online food pantry. Moran was the first clinician to provide therapeutic services to the organization’s clients in 2017 and led Alphabet Soup, an LGBTQ+ support group.
“It was a phenomenal group because it included people of all ages and backgrounds, learning from each other and building a supportive community,” Moran recalled. “I think that’s the narrative of my life—I like to help people get to know each other and get engaged.”
While leading Alphabet Soup, Moran spoke with many older LGBTQ+ people and learned a lot about the ways they organized and fought to improve the lives of queer people today.
“I learned so much gratitude for what we’ve been able to accomplish, and what our elders went through, especially during the HIV/AIDS crisis,” Moran said. “There’s still a lot more to do, especially for trans people of color, but I think it showed me how important it is we continue to put in the work to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people.”
People can get involved with Nourishing Hope by volunteering or donating—more information is available on its website.