Putting food on the table: DuPage County budgets $2.1 million to fight food insecurity

As food prices continue to increase, DuPage County Board members are helping to ensure their residents are fed.

County board members on Tuesday voted to allocate $2.1 million to help food pantries stock their shelves and meet infrastructure and technology needs.

Of the $2.1 million, board members set aside $500,000 for technology and long-term needs, such as refrigerators, trucks or shelving. The remaining $1.6 million will be awarded to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which provides food to area food banks.

In February, the county board approved nearly $1 million to cover long-term needs at 16 area food pantries. County officials added the $1.6 million allocation to Northern Illinois Food Bank, bringing the total awarded to the food bank to $4 million.

As food prices continue to increase, the demand for food pantry services remains high, said Greg Schwarze, a county board member who heads the board’s human services committee.

“We’ve heard from our residents that food insecurity continues to be an issue,” Schwarze said. “These two programs will help address the immediate need for fresh food, while also providing funds to create the framework for pantries to be sustainable and successful for years to come.”

The county board opted to make another $500,000 available for infrastructure needs after hearing some food pantries were not made aware of the original grant opportunity, Schwarze said.

Food pantries can apply for the infrastructure grants through May 15. Applications for the grant are available at dupagecounty.gov.