U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) visited Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry in Aurora Thursday, April 6 to discuss the $700,000 in federal funding he secured through congressionally-directed spending in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Omnibus appropriations bill for their new Mobile Meals Program that will expand their services to food-insecure residents in the region.
This funding will allow them to purchase a mobile van to distribute meals to residents.
“We live in the richest nation in the world, yet over 35 million Americans are still experiencing food insecurity,” said Durbin.
“While Congress works to address this public health crisis, residents continuously rely on organizations like Aurora Food Pantry.
“This federal funding will allow them to expand their critical services to even more Illinoisans. I’ll keep working in Washington to ensure no family has to wonder where their next meal will come from.”
Shannon Cameron, Aurora Food Pantry executive director said, “We continue to work every day to remove the barriers that prevent people from seeking food assistance from our Pantry.
“It was an honor to have senator Durbin visit the Aurora Food Pantry today and of course, we are ecstatic about his financial support through an appropriation.
“Without this $700,000 grant, we would not be able to launch our new Mobile Meals program, aimed at reaching the most underserved and vulnerable in our community.”
As many as 35 million Americans experience food insecurity, including more than one million Illinois residents. According to Feeding America, there are more than 62,000 food-insecure residents in DuPage County (about 6.7% of the county’s population) and 38,000 food-insecure residents in Kane County (about 7.3% of the County’s population).
Cameron said Aurora Food Pantry operates across DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will, and DeKalb Counties. In 2021, they distributed more than 2.7 million pounds of food, and residents visited Aurora Food Pantry’s locations more than 100,000 times.
—Press Secretary of the United States Senate