How the Northern Illinois Food Bank is Helping Their Neighbors

It was forty years ago when Sister Rosemarie Burian had a vision. What appeared for Sister Rosemarie Burian was the idea of bringing people together to solve the problem of hunger. At that moment, the seeds for the food bank were planted at the Bethlehem Center on Easy Street in Wheaton, Illinois. Now the organization boasts the name Northern Illinois Food Bank, proudly serving thirteen counties, including Boone County, Dekalb County, DuPage County, Grundy County, Kane County, Kankakee County, Kendall County, Lake County, McHenry County, Ogle County, Stephenson County, Will County, and Winnebago County.

There are four locations: Joliet, Geneva, Rockford, and Lake Forest. On a Wednesday morning, I visited the Geneva location and was amazed at what I saw. I walked in on volunteers already at work in the bright warehouse; they looked happy as they packed food for their neighbors.

Later in the day, I met with perhaps the proudest member of the organization. Her name is Sucely Garcia.With her alma mater being Northern Illinois University and a bachelor's degree in nonprofit, Garcia began working as an intern for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. As a child, Garcia's family utilized resources at food banks. Her parents immigrated to the United States, and for much of her early life, Garcia lived in a one-room house with her entire family. These experiences made Garcia understand that this was a job she wanted to have for the rest of her life.

After interning, she was hired as the Neighbor Outreach Specialist and has worked in that role for two years. In this capacity, she reminds neighbors of locations of distributions and community events and sends weekly resource updates through text messages. Garcia understands that her job is the glue that holds the operation together; without her, many neighbors would not know how and when to receive food from distributions.

Usually, the Northern Illinois Food Bank comes to parks, schools, or events to distribute food to neighbors in the thirteen counties they serve. Garcia explained the different meal plans for this summer.

One of the programs is the Backpack Program, where low-income kids can receive cold suppers in backpacks for the weekend. Then, they return their backpacks to refill for the rest of the school year.

Another meal plan is for the elderly. The senior mobiles go to senior living homes and distribute food to them. Usually, they distribute dry foods and produce. Garcia said that the Northern Illinois Food Bank hopes to expand this aspect of food distribution.

She introduced the online food pantry, where neighbors can order their food online; this makes it easier for neighbors who cannot make their way to food distribution. Another feature that Garcia told me about was the number available to text if someone is wondering or needs food distribution.*

Garcia then reminded me that the Northern Illinois Food Pantry does not ask for any identification; they trust that neighbors have true intentions when picking up food.
The price of food has gone up dramatically since COVID-19. Now more than ever, food banks are needed.

The work that Northern Illinois Food Bank has done and continues to do is inspiring. Their mission of serving neighbors brings hope in the uncertainty that COVID brought. Sucely Garcia is the personification of this mission; when she talked to me that Wednesday, I quickly understood that she loves what she does. She not only provides resources, but she also connects with neighbors and listens to their stories. Garcia teared up when she told me of the connections she has built with neighbors when attending food distributions and events.

When I asked her if she had anything else to say, Garcia told me this: "Though we have great volunteers with us, we are always in need of more. It is a great feeling to be a part of this organization." She paused before adding, "Also, it is okay to ask for help. The Northern Illinois Food Bank will always be here and is always ready to serve our fellow neighbors."

*If interested in receiving updates about food distributions, resources, and events, text "FOOD" or "COMIDA" to 844-600-7627
*Here is a link to the Northern Illinois Food Bank: https://solvehungertoday.org/get-groceries-resources/#googtrans(en|en)