Each food distribution day, the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry staff members of 11 wears ventilator masks and gloves and heads out to the parking lot to load groceries into cars for hungry neighbors.
“We used to feed about about 290 people on distribution days,” said Aurora Food Pantry executive director Cat Battista. “With the onset of COVID-19, we began to see triple that amount.”
The largest food pantry in northern Illinois, Aurora Food Pantry is struggling to keep their 18,000 square foot warehouse stocked. “One Saturday we faced empty shelves and put out a call to the community,” Battista said. “People dropped off thousands of pounds of food, enabling us to get through that week, but we have to live day-to-day and hope that more people will learn about our plight and help us feed our neighbors.”
“So many people have lost their jobs and can’t put food on the table for their families,” she said. “The best thing anyone can do is to go to our website and buy a box of food. The only way we can feed our community is if those of us who have enough to live on support the food pantry. Everyone benefits from a healthy community.”
— Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry