Home pantries foster the image of food available to nourish hungry family members. It is hard to
believe that, in this day and age, families in the affluent Fox Valley are experiencing hunger, but it is true.
Households
with limited resources often must choose between paying their rent and feeding their families. Food assistance can prevent
the tragedy of homelessness for people who find themselves in the position of having to make this choice.
Since
1980, concerned citizens in the Aurora area have attempted to provide canned goods and other groceries to persons in need
of food assistance. That movement, known as the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, has seen substantial increases in the
requests from year to year.
Nearly 4,000 families are registered to receive food from the Pantry and
new families register for assistance on each distribution day at an average of 153 new families per month. Over the past year,
the Pantry distributed 34,000 bags of groceries, providing an average of 75,000 pounds of food each month to individuals and
families in need. In the past two year, requests for assistance have more than doubled.
Those who
receive food include the unemployed, families and single parents caring for children, seniors on fixed incomes, persons with
disabilities or chronic illness, victims of violence and emergency situations, employed individuals who need a supplement,
or anyone who cannot afford to purchase enough food to adequately meet their nutritional needs.
The Pantry distributes
food on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, from 11am to 2pm. Those needing food may visit the Pantry one time each
week. For further information about distribution, please contact the Pantry office at (630)897-2127.
The food distributed
by the Pantry is obtained through community food drives and donations from individuals, businesses and organizations, and
purchased with monetary donations and grants that the Pantry receives. Anyone interested in conducting a food drive should
contact the Pantry.
Food donations are accepted at the Pantry office at 659
S. River St., Aurora, from 7am to 3pm or by appointment.
Monetary donations can be made online
through our website by clicking on the DONATE NOW link below or sent to the Pantry at P.O. Box 2602, Aurora,IL 60507.
