West Englewood's IMAN Food & Wellness Center Is Feeding Neighbors — and Building a Movement

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/West Englewood · July 18, 2026

On 63rd Street in the heart of West Englewood, a grocery store unlike any other is quietly changing lives. The Inner-City Muslim Action Network's Food and Wellness Center, at 1216 W. 63rd St., has operated since 2021 on a simple but powerful idea: neighbors in need deserve to shop with dignity. Using a client-choice model, residents browse and select their own groceries — just like at any neighborhood store — rather than receiving pre-packed boxes. And as federal food assistance programs face new pressures, the center has seen a steady rise in visitors stepping through its doors.

This spring, IMAN doubled down on that mission by partnering with the Greater Chicago Food Depository for a "Save Our SNAP" Block Party at the nearby Go Green Griot Plaza, 1201 W. 63rd St. — blending live performances from local artists like Nico Segal and DJ Cash Era with on-site advocacy and exemption enrollment to help neighbors protect their SNAP benefits. It was community organizing with a beat: joyful, urgent, and deeply rooted in West Englewood's block-by-block resilience.

The 63rd Street corridor continues to emerge as a cultural and civic spine for the neighborhood. This Monday, July 21, R.A.G.E. hosts its next Englewood Village Meeting at 5:30 p.m. — your chance to plug in, speak up, and shape what comes next. Learn more at ragenglewood.org, and explore IMAN's food resources at imancentral.org.

Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/12/save-our-snap-block-party-brings-live-music-community-support-to-west-englewood-plaza/
2. https://ragenglewood.org/