It started with printing t-shirts for the bands they were involved with. Then the bands of friends. And festivals. Pretty soon they had a sign out on the street that said: “We’ll print for food”. And in a way that is still what they do. They print for food, but not just for themselves but for their neighbors.

Uptown is still a rough neighborhood and much like the rest of the american megacities Chicago has it’s fair share of homelessness. Belly Acres is a part of an commune called JPUSA who run a handful of night shelters for single women/mothers and whole families. They’ve earned a reputation over the years as a hardworking bunch who will deliver on time.

I’ve been working with Belly Acres a few times and written articles about them. To me, their enterprise is a very good example of the results that can come out of combining art and attitude with professionalism and an open heart.

Published in Dagen, june 2009.
Daily printed newspapper (Sweden).
Circulation: 19.000/day (average 60.000 readers/day).