West Suburban Community Pantry to hold State of Hunger event Oct. 14 on rising food insecurity
West Suburban Community Pantry will present a State of the Pantry event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the West Suburban Community Pantry’s Online Market location, 6805 Hobson Valley Drive, Suite 101 in Woodridge. The event is free and open to the public. Tours of the Market store and the Online Market will be provided.
Pantry leadership will also offer an update on current challenges and opportunities to address food insecurity in DuPage and Will counties. After the brief program, there will be tours of both the in-person and online markets.
Attendees will also hear from DuPage County Board Member Paula Deacon Garcia about how the county is investing in solutions to food insecurity. Deacon Garcia, who serves DuPage County District 2 where the pantry resides, is the chairman of the county’s finance committee, vice chair of the human services committee and sits on the DuPage County Board of Health.
“Food insecurity is not just a pantry issue. It’s a community issue. Rising housing and healthcare costs, inflation, and other financial pressures are pushing more families, seniors, and working neighbors to make impossible choices between food and other necessities,” said CEO Maeven Sipes.
State of the Pantry will bring together residents, supporters, and leaders to understand these challenges and how each of us can play a role in building a community without hunger.
“At a time when our neighbors are experiencing so much uncertainty and diminished resources from the federal government. The county’s efforts have had a transformational impact on the pantry’s ability to meet our community’s needs,” Sipes said. “The pantry had 51,600 visits from neighbors last year. We provided 3.1 million meals from 3.7 million pounds of food, and we do not anticipate a decrease in demand in the coming months. Our neighbors rely on us to be here for them when they need us. We are grateful for the support of donors, volunteers and our community who help us support them.”