Daily Herald opinion: A worthy project: Local food pantry has plan to expand its capacity to help people

Food insecurity continues to be a harsh reality for far too many residents living in the Chicago suburbs, and experts say combating the problem is only getting tougher for local charities.

One nonprofit group that aims to expand its capacity to help more people is Loaves & Fishes.

Considered the largest food pantry in Illinois, Loaves & Fishes serves an area that spans DuPage, Will, Kane and Kendall counties. In DuPage County alone, the organization helps feed nearly 4,000 residents a week.

Now it wants to add 32,000 square feet of space to its Aurora hub, where food is received, stored and prepared for distribution.

However, funding is required for that construction project to become a reality.

A significant chunk of that money could come from DuPage County, which is considering a proposal to provide $2.5 million to Loaves & Fishes.

County board members are expected to vote Tuesday on the funding request. We encourage them to support this critical investment.

Loaves & Fishes CEO Mike Havala points to data showing that food insecurity has increased in DuPage. Meanwhile, reductions in SNAP benefits and other public supports “are expected to place even greater strain on household budgets.”

In a letter to the DuPage County Board, Havala wrote that the charitable food system “cannot keep pace with rising need” without additional infrastructure.

“The demand has risen much faster than the capacity of our pantries to serve that need. Our pantries are pretty much at capacity with the resources and the infrastructure that exists today,” Havala said during a recent board meeting.

In a story published Saturday, senior writer Katlyn Smith reported that the proposed expansion of Loaves & Fishes’ Aurora hub would double the size of the facility to 62,000 square feet. It would also allow the organization to provide free cold storage and dry storage access to other food pantries.

“With Hub 2.0, we will be positioned to at least double the number of people we serve today, significantly increasing that direct community benefit,” Havala wrote in his letter.

Meanwhile, the $2.5 million that DuPage could contribute to the project would come from the county’s fiscal 2025 surplus funds.

So it’s money the county already has. Now it could be used to help people in need for years to come.

A few DuPage board members have said that other counties should help fund the project’s estimated $8 million price tag, and that’s a fair point. Other counties will benefit and, through leading by example, DuPage can encourage them to do their part.

DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy has said that expanding capacity to serve more people is one of the most important goals of the county’s food program.

“The Loaves and Fishes hub project helps us achieve that goal, and it facilitates partnerships within our community to more efficiently serve people in need,” Conroy said.

We wholeheartedly agree. Expanding the Loaves & Fishes hub is a project worthy of financial support.