DuPage County approves $4.8 million to help food pantries, ‘Farm to Pantry’ program

DuPage County Board members have approved $4.8 million in funding to continue a fresh produce program for food pantries, to boost a farm-to-pantry pipeline of vegetables and to help the largest of them expand a food distribution hub.

The county will provide $2.5 million to support the Loaves & Fishes “Hub 2.0” project. The county will also provide $2 million to the Northern Illinois Food Bank over the next two fiscal years for the purchase and delivery of produce and other commodities to its member pantries. In addition, the board approved the Conservation Foundation’s request for $322,000 over two years for the growth of a “Farm to Pantry” initiative.

“Our plan leverages public-private partnerships and encourages further collaboration in the community to deliver the freshest, healthiest food to our neighbors in need,” County Board Chairwoman Deb Conroy said.

The multiplying Loaves & Fishes plans to add about 32,000 square feet of space to its Aurora hub, where food is received, stored and prepared for distribution. Loaves & Fishes is considered the largest food pantry in Illinois with a service area spanning DuPage, Will, Kane and Kendall counties.

“All the pantries in DuPage County collectively provided about 26 million pounds of food last year, which is wonderful. It's a big number,” CEO Mike Havala told the board earlier this month. “Unfortunately, there's a bigger need out there.”

The construction project will double the size of the Aurora hub to 62,000 square feet. It will mean more cold storage, “which is critical if you want to focus on healthy food,” Havala said. What’s more, Loaves & Fishes will provide free cold storage and dry storage access to other pantries, fostering more collaboration in the pantry system.

County board member Grant Eckhoff reiterated Tuesday that other countries should contribute to the $8 million project. He said he supports Loaves & Fishes.

“But I think when you're using taxpayer dollars, you should use taxpayer dollars from all the counties being served and not just DuPage County,” he said.

Eckhoff sought to table a decision during a finance committee meeting, but the motion failed.

The total cost of the hub, including “Hub 1.0 plus the addition,” is about $12.5 million, Havala said. The $2.5 million represents roughly 20% of that, while DuPage residents have accounted for approximately 36% to 41% of all people served over the past three years, Havala wrote in a funding request. Currently, Loaves & Fishes serves nearly 4,000 DuPage residents a week.

“I thought that was a pretty good deal,” county board member Jim Zay said.

The Conservation Foundation will be able to expand the “Farm to Pantry” initiative by 60% to serve residents in each of the six DuPage districts. The foundation will roll out a new refrigerated delivery van. It also plans a new greenhouse.

“Through this partnership, we have helped address the fresh food gap across DuPage County by providing consistent access to fresh, locally grown, organic vegetables to our pantry partners,” read a letter to the board.

Greg Schwarze, chairman of the board’s human services committee, noted recent reductions in federal benefits put added strain on pantries.

“This is a worthwhile investment that will positively impact our county,” he added in a statement.

Since 2020, the county has spent more than $12.6 million on food and infrastructure capital grants to various organizations, including nonprofit and township food pantries.

The funding came from a variety of sources, including dollars allocated from the county’s portion of the federal CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as interest earned on ARPA money. The sum also includes about $400,000 in Member Initiative Program grants.