Loaves & Fishes Community Services is collaborating with the Downtown Naperville Alliance to take action on hunger during Hunger Action Month. Several downtown vendors will be host to food drives in their stores and collect dry goods from customers. A drive-through food drive will be scheduled 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, in the Naperville Bank and Trust parking lot, 5S. Washington Street where the public can stop and donate healthy, nonperishable, nonexpired items.
Loaves & Fishes has seen the need for food for struggling families increase dramatically, but the food supply has not come close to keeping up. The organization now serves more than 8,000 each week, compared to 3,000 a week at the beginning of last year, but unfortunately, food donations have decreased this year, due largely to the high cost of groceries. Struggling families are not keeping healthy food on the table because it is so expensive. More expensive food is the same reason that food donations have decreased.
“We sincerely thank the Downtown Naperville Alliance and the many community members stepp up to help. By working together, we can create a community where every individual has access to healthy food,” said Mike Havala, CEO of Loaves & Fishes.
If you can’t attend Sunday, food can be dropped off at participating stores in Downtown Naperville, or donations can be made to the Loaves & Fishes Virtual Food Drive at loaves-fishes.org.
For more information on Hunger Action Month and how you can get involved in taking Action, visit loaves-fishes.org.
—Loaves and Fishes Community Services