Barack Obama surprises Chicago foodbank volunteers to help prepare Thanksgiving meals for the needy

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. He decided to help prepare Thanksgiving meals before the holiday.

The Obama Foundation took to Twitter on Wednesday to share the details about the trip. They posted a video which included a call to action from Obama.

"Wherever you are in the country, I'll bet there's an organization just like this one that is doing some really good work. Make sure that you give them some support as we go into the holiday season." said Obama

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In some of the clips posted this weekend, Obama is seen helping to prep the food. In other clips, he speaks about the great work done by the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The non-profit organization's aims to combat hunger and food insecurity. This mission is extremely important as  America has seen a rise in the national food hardship rate for all households for the first time in several years.   

According to a report released in August by the Food Research and Action Center, the national food hardship rate for all households increased from 15.1 percent in 2016 to 15.7 percent in 2017. While the food hardship rate for households with children rose from 17.5 percent in 2016 to 18.4 percent in 2017. 

Nationally, households with children have a food hardship rate that is 1.3 times higher than for households without children.

"They do great work making sure that those aren't as fortunate are able to enjoy the kind of Thanksgiving meal that so many of us take for granted" ~ Obama about the Chicago Food Depository

During his visit, Obama also took time to chat with other volunteers. He focused on motivating the younger volunteers and encouraging them to continue helping within their communities.

Combatting world hunger has been a focus of Obama from his days as President.  In 2009, his administration pledged $3.5 billion over three years to a Feed the Future initiative and in 2016, he signed the Global Food Security Act to bolster government efforts toward Feed the Future initiatives.

Nationally, households with children have a food hardship rate that is 1.3 times higher than for households without children.

With the current state of the households across America, Obama has spoken out a few times against the current government. Recently he had gently critiqued the Trump administration by saying, “You literally can remake the world right now, because it badly needs remaking."