Volunteers work to help those in need during Hunger Action Day at Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva

Like a lot of people, Joe Holloway of St. Charles was looking for something to do following retirement and found it in nearby Geneva at the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

“I’ve been volunteering here a little over two years and today is really a feel-good because those of us who are very comfortable in life underestimate what it is for those who really count on us,” he said Tuesday morning as he worked with dozens of other volunteers sorting potatoes at the food bank. “You know that, in this case, these sweet potatoes are going out and people will pick them up and really need them. It’s one of the reasons I come back — all the time.”

Tuesday morning was a time for taking part in the effort to combat food insecurity as 200 volunteers pitched in during Hunger Action Day at the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Following a briefing at 9 a.m., volunteers began packing food at the site at 273 Dearborn Court in Geneva that will help people throughout the food bank’s 13-county service area in northern Illinois.

According to a press release from the food bank, Hunger Action Day is an annual event focusing on awareness and action sponsored by Feeding America, a national nonprofit working to end hunger. Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of the Feeding America network.

Northern Illinois Food Bank Director of Volunteers Shannon Thompson said the food bank has participated in Hunger Action Day “since the beginning.”

“I think sometimes people think that we’re in a better place because COVID is behind us, but unfortunately, with inflation, with the cost of gas, with all of that our neighbors are still struggling to make ends meet,” she said. “That’s why we constantly need our community to support us with donations of their time, donations of their resources, money, all of that.

“I’d love to be in the business of putting us out of business, but, unfortunately, that’s not where we’re at,” Thompson added.

Suppliers for the food bank, she said “have been stable,” adding that it has “really great partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and all of that.”

“We also have a large portion of the food that our volunteers sort through and things that we have to purchase,” she said. “That’s because of supply and we want people to have a well-rounded amount of food and not just what is being donated. We want people to have enough produce and be sure that a good portion is healthy, nutritious food.”

Volunteers are important to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, with officials saying it takes approximately 1,000 volunteers each week to evaluate, sort and repack food for distribution.

Barb Lochmann of Elgin has worked at the food bank for 11 years and said that Hunger Action Day is an important event.

“To me, what’s special about this day — September is Hunger Action Month to bring awareness to neighbors that need to have assistance with all of the programs we offer,” she said.

Holloway said that “all the volunteers come in with a great attitude” to help out at the food bank. “We all have the same goal.”

“I retired two years ago and I wanted to give back,” he said. “My wife says I like to eat and it’s my way of sharing that with other people.”

Joe O’ Brien of West Chicago said he started volunteering at the food bank in late 2023 because he “was coming up on retirement and looking for something worthwhile to do.”

“I didn’t want to sit around the house and watch TV and I’m here two to three days a week,” he said.

O’Brien said the food bank’s work is crucial because of “the unbelievable amount of need that there is.”

“The need is so paramount and it’s unending,” he said. “Food insecurity is rising. Occasionally we’ll do extra deliveries out there and if you could see the number of cars that line up before 6 in the morning, it’s definitely rising.”

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.