Chicago’s First Black‑Owned Chick‑fil‑A Partners With Local Sustainable Farming Group To Fight Food Insecurity

The restaurant is located in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood in 2021.

A Chicago Chick-fil-A has partnered with an urban farming organization to help expand access to fresh food across the city.

Earlier this year, Kareem Edwards, the owner of the city’s only Black-owned Chick-fil-A, donated $50,000 to Just Roots Chicago, a nonprofit that supports community farms in the city and nearby suburbs. The organization also provides educational programs, including cooking, nutritional workshops, and gardening classes.

“Really, what we are all about is trying to make sure that the food we’re growing is as fresh as it can be, and it’s staying in the community,” Just Roots Co-Founder Sean Ruane told CBS News.

Edwards noted that he met Raune after he and his family had regularly attended Just Roots Farms’ community events. He noted their shared passion for supporting the community and a desire to help advance the organization’s mission.

Additionally, Edwards’ company partners with a local food bank to donate leftover meals and to address food insecurity, a rising problem in the Chicago area.

Edwards and his wife, Janelle, also spearhead an annual back-to-school breakfast to support teachers and staff in local schools.

The Far Rockaway, Queens, native entered the restaurant business in an unconventional way after spending years on Wall Street. The entrepreneur notes that he felt unfulfilled and decided to explore options.

“If I go to business school, I understand even more about business, and then maybe I go down entrepreneurship or find something that I truly like,” the father told Essence.

After earning an MBA, Edwards landed a position at Kraft Heinz, where he led their breakthrough innovation team. He moved on to Google, where he worked as a tech maven by day and at Chick-fil-A at night to learn the business. In 2021, he opened his own franchise at 1101 South Clinton Street.

Anyone interested in learning more about or supporting Just Roots’ mission can visit the organization’s website.