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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING DION’S CHICAGO DREAM FOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH EQUITY, LOGISTICS-DRIVEN FOOD ACCESS, AND JOB CREATION IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, September is recognized as Social Food Justice Month, a time to elevate and honor the work of organizations and leaders advancing equitable access to nutritious food, dismantling systemic barriers, and affirming dignity in food systems; and
WHEREAS, WHEREAS, Dion’s Chicago Dream (“DCD”), founded by Englewood native and U.S. Navy veteran Dion Dawson in 2020, is a nonprofit social enterprise that combats food insecurity through a logistics-first model delivering fresh produce directly to households across Chicagoland, centering quality, dignity, and consistency in service; and DCD’s flagship Dream Deliveries program provides five days’ worth of fresh fruits and vegetables straight to residents’ doorsteps, immediately improving household food security; and
WHEREAS, DCD’s innovative “last-mile” approach has been profiled and recognized regionally and nationally for reimagining the traditional, queue-based food distribution model, replacing lines and limited hours with direct-to-door delivery and dignified access, and integrating with health and Food-Is-Medicine partners to support prevention and better outcomes; and
WHEREAS, DCD has scaled from an early community fridge to a county-wide engine for health equity, with program components including Dream Deliveries (direct home delivery) and the Dream Vault—an Amazon-style locker that allows recipients to retrieve a full produce box using a unique code, extending access and reach of last-mile logistics; and
WHEREAS, The Dream Vault earned one of the region’s highest honors for innovation—the 2023 Chicago Innovation Award—and has been highlighted by civic and community institutions for modernizing food access infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, The organization’s measurable impact includes millions of pounds of fresh produce delivered across the Chicago region since 2020 (with more than 5.1 million pounds publicly documented by mid-2025) and sustained service coverage across more than half of Cook County ZIP codes (180+), evidence of county-scale logistics capacity that meets households where they are; and
WHEREAS, DCD’s model creates local jobs alongside nutrition access—living-wage roles for drivers, packers, dispatch, and operations—and has been held up by workforce and impact investors as an example of social enterprise delivering both economic mobility and health equity in historically under-resourced neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, In national recognition of its nutrition-forward, activity-supportive community impact, Dion’s Chicago Dream was selected as a 2024 President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Community Leadership Awardee, joining a select group of U.S. organizations honored for advancing community well-being through fitness and nutrition programming; and
WHEREAS, Chief Dreamer Dion Dawson has been recognized as a TED Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Aspen Food Leaders Fellow, and by the Rockefeller Foundation, reflecting national and global acknowledgment of Chicago-born innovation that blends logistics, data, and resident-informed design to transform food access; and he has been tapped by leading institutions for thought leadership and systems change; and
WHEREAS, DCD’s mission and methods align with Cook County’s priorities around health equity, preventative care, and economic opportunity, demonstrating how modern logistics, direct-to-consumer delivery, and smart access points can reduce barriers to healthy food, support chronic disease prevention, and put dignity and agency back into the hands of residents.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby commends Dion’s Chicago Dream for its pioneering leadership in last-mile, direct-to-door produce delivery, its innovation in access infrastructure (including the Dream Vault), its job creation and local wealth-building, and its demonstrable contribution to health equity across Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that, during Social Food Justice Month, the Board recognizes DCD’s multi-million-pound distribution since 2020, its sustained service to over half of Cook County ZIP codes, and its role as a trailblazer in the Food-Is-Medicine movement—setting a standard for consistency, accountability, and dignity in public-interest logistics; and that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to Dion Dawson, Founder & Chief Dreamer, and the Dream Team of Dion’s Chicago Dream in recognition of their continued service to Cook County residents.
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