Loaves & Fishes Community Services, seeing a growing issue of food insecurity in DuPage County and the surrounding areas, is making plans to open an additional facility to help address those needs.
Loaves & Fishes serves 10,000 people weekly
The nonprofit currently serves an average of 10,000 people each week, according to a recent report. That figure is more than triple the average 3,000 people Loaves & Fishes served each week in 2022.
Mike Havala, president and CEO of Loaves & Fishes, provided a recent update on efforts to meet the growing needs throughout the region by way of innovative, collaborative processes and the planned construction of a new shared-space facility. He spoke to the work underway at a DuPage County Board meeting Tuesday, June 24.
The Hub and Spoke Model
Havala said approximately one-fifth of the people within the region are considered low-income or under the poverty line.
“It’s a big, big issue, and it’s something that unfortunately is growing,” Havala said. “It’s largely a cost-of-living issue.”
To meet the ever-growing needs, Loaves & Fishes acquired a warehouse in Aurora, which opened in 2021 as a part of an initiative Havala described as the Hub and Spoke Model. He said it was designed to efficiently serve the needs of people through a streamlined distribution process.
“This is not just a building,” Havala said. “It’s a change in our whole model, and the way we delivered food, and the access to that food, to people in the community.”
The intent, Havala said, was to have in place a modernized facility and distribution model for the next 10 to 15 years. However, the facility is now at capacity, several years after opening, and further expansion is necessary to have the logistics in place to meet continued needs.
Hub 2.0 a part of future plans
In an effort to meet the continued needs, Havala outlined plans for an additional facility, which has become possible since the organization purchased an adjacent lot in Aurora in 2023 for an additional 30,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Loaves & Fishes officials note that they are still in the planning stages of this potential project, as it contains multiple facets, including design, construction, permitting, and fundraising.
The additional facility will have more cold storage space, which Havala said is urgently needed to help ensure nutritious food is provided to program recipients.
“What excites me probably the most about the way that we’re undertaking this project is that this is a project about collaboration,” Havala said. “This is a project about community support.”
Loaves & Fishes, Havala said, would do the required fundraising and work into making the building a reality, with plans to then offer the opportunity for other pantries to utilize the space as well…for free.
According to Havala, three pantries have already signed up to take part and share the space, which is still about two years from completion.
Food insecurity a ‘continuously addressed’ issue by the board
County Board Chair Deb Conroy had asked Havala to speak at the recent County Board meeting.
“During my tenure as chair, and since the pandemic first hit, the problem of food insecurity has been one of this board’s continuously addressed issues,” Conroy said. “As we develop plans for fiscal year 2026, I thought it was important to get a snapshot of where we are at this point in time.”
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