By Shannon Cameron
Aurora
Dear friends,
This past year has been remarkable for so many reasons. Although we saw the need for food assistance skyrocket at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry due to the pandemic, through the tremendous support of the community we served 100% of those who turned to us for lifesaving nourishment. Our dedicated staff members and volunteers have done an incredible job expanding our outreach while strengthening our programs and services thanks to the generosity of so many. This year marks 40 years of service for our organization. I came on board as the new executive director in late March and I am so proud and honored to help continue on the legacy of service at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.
I came to Aurora four years ago and immediately fell in love with the community. I most recently was the director of education and community engagement at the Paramount Theatre and the director of the Paramount School of the Arts. During the pandemic, I was greatly affected by the widespread hardships caused by the COVID-19 virus. From the loss of jobs to the loss of life, I felt a calling to do more for my community. This role at the pantry was a perfect fit for my passion for service and dedication to the Aurora area. Soon after I came to the Pantry, hired a dynamic senior director of development, Katie Arko. She brings an extensive amount of development experience in the Aurora area including roles at The Rialto Square Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Rush Copley Medical Center, and Aurora University. We are ecstatic to have her on board to help us nurture relationships with stakeholders, deepen our impact, and help us expand programming opportunities.
In other news, the Pantry is beginning our strategic planning process where we get to dream about the future of the pantry and how best to serve our neighbors. In the meantime, the Pantry continues to expand and grow by offering new programming regularly.
A few program highlights include:
• Our Pantry To-Go program is a food delivery service for seniors, or those who are homebound. We deliver boxes of dry goods and some produce, dairy, and meat, to their front doors.
• Pop-Up Kids’ Pantries: Through a partnership with Calvary Church we provide kid-specific meals, snacks, and more items that will nourish children in the greater Aurora area. Every two weeks we serve a different part of the community ensuring everyone knows about the Pantry and our services.
• Our Memorial Day Veteran’s Pantry Friday, May 28 honored all those who have served, or are serving in the military. It pays tribute to those veterans who have passed and their families.
• Our distributions were busier than ever this year. We have fed approximately 282,500 individuals since March 2020 and distributed enough food for 2.9 million meals.
We have expanded our garden and will use it as an educational tool for others to create their own community gardens while the Pantry’s neighbors benefit from our own harvest.
Katie and I are eager to meet with you to talk about our operations, programming, and the future of the Pantry. Please feel free to contact me at scameron@aurorafoodpantry.org or Katie at karko@aurorafoodpantry.org to set up a meeting. We are both fully vaccinated and would be happy to meet with you in person, or virtually.
Thank you for wholeheartedly being a partner in ending hunger in our community. I look forward to speaking with you in the future.
Shannon Cameron is the executive director for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.