A ceremonial groundbreaking marked a new chapter in a local fight to end hunger.
Loaves & Fishes Community Services held the event on Wednesday, May 6, to kick off construction of what it’s calling Hub 2.0. The new project hub will expand its existing 30,000-square-foot facility in Aurora, where volunteers store, sort, and distribute healthy food to families throughout DuPage, Will, Kane, and Kendall Counties.
More space, more people fed
This new building will add another 32,000 square feet, more than doubling the space.
“With that expansion, we’ll be able to add capacity to be able to serve an additional two to three times the number of people we’re currently serving, and today we’re already serving 10,000 people a week,” said Megan Lynch, vice president of advancement for Loaves & Fishes.
“Over the last number of years, since 2019, in our service area, food insecurity has gone up by 50%,” said Mike Havala, president and CEO of Loaves & Fishes. “So [we are] very excited about being able to serve more people because there are so many families in need in our community today.”
A partnership among pantries
The additional space will also give Loaves & Fishes the opportunity to partner with and support other food pantries.
“We are going to let them store food in our facility for free,” said Havala. “That will be very helpful, especially because cold storage is at a premium.”
Part of a greater effort
Hub 2.0 is part of Loaves & Fishes’ $15-million campaign called ‘Nourish Together,’ an effort to expand access to healthy food and strengthen partnerships. Endeavor Health has contributed $5 million as part of its Community Investment Fund, with $2.5 million in support from DuPage County as well.
“This investment is much more than a brick and mortar that will take shape over the following months. This investment means more healthy food will stay fresh, will stay safe to eat, and increase storage,” said Yvette Saba, president of Endeavor Health Edward Hospital and system executive for the Endeavor Health Cardiovascular Institute.
Loaves & Fishes staff also plan to add more satellite locations known as spokes, places where individuals experiencing food insecurity can pick up food, as well as expand their CARES program, wraparound services that help families and individuals with other needs.
“Food insecurity is often just one challenge that the people who come to us for help are experiencing. They might also be struggling with financial challenges, with access to employment, with mental health challenges, and our CARES programs help connect those individuals with the help they need so they can move toward self-sufficiency, which is our end goal,” said Lynch.
Loaves & Fishes staff hope the new Hub 2.0 will be completed and open within the first quarter of 2027.
Videographer: Jaren Smith
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