Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry Unveils Bold New Look

Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry unveiled today a bold new brand identity and name change to Beyond Hunger – The new brand identity reflects the evolution of the organization and its broader mission to harness the power of communities to end hunger in each of the 13 zip codes it serves.

Since the late 1970s, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry has helped reduce food insecurity throughout Chicagoland by providing direct hunger relief services, hunger awareness education and advocacy. As the organization grew, the Food Pantry evolved to meet the changing needs of the surrounding communities. Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry now provides meals to 40,000 people each year in 13 zip codes in the greater Chicago area. The Food Pantry will continue to thrive as a program of Beyond Hunger providing access to healthy, nutritious food in a grocery store-like environment.

“Our new brand is aspirational, focusing on our mission; our new identity leads with strong, bold colors and a modern personality, allowing us to grow as we make a pivotal shift in our approach to hunger,” explains Michele Zurakowski, PhD, executive director of Beyond Hunger. “Rather than creating programs thought to be helpful, we will assess the needs of those we serve alongside them, with the goal of creating a hunger-free community. What began as a food pantry in a church basement is evolving into a comprehensive collaboration of programs, services, and resources to promote food security.”

Beyond Hunger, a member of Hunger Free Communities Network, creates solutions to end hunger at every stage of life from feeding kids in schools and summer camps, to providing food to families in need and delivering groceries to people with disabilities and homebound older adults. Beyond Hunger will continue to offer a wide range of programs including nutrition education, social services, health screenings, healthy cooking classes, grocery shopping tours, the food rescue project, and hunger relief.

“Beyond Hunger can’t do it alone. Creating a hunger free community depends on strengthening current collaborations and building new ones. As we celebrate our growth and accomplishments from the past 40 years, we ask members of all the communities we serve to consider their role in ending hunger,” urged Zurakowski. “Our volunteers help distribute food to children through schools and summer camps, and to older adults who cannot leave their homes. Business owners share their support by hanging Beyond Hunger window clings in their front windows. Community organizations are helping us identify gaps in resources, so we can help fill them. We can accomplish so much more together than we can on our own.”

To discover new opportunities to support a hunger free community, visit Beyond Hunger at www.gobeyondhunger.org, on Facebook and Twitter @gobeyondhunger.

About Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry

For more than 40 years, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry has provided hunger-relief services to reduce local hunger. Each year, the Food Pantry provides 14,000 families with an average of 70 pounds of nutritious food per visit, plus access to services including home delivery, summer meals, social services, and nutrition education. In 2019, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry rebranded itself as Beyond Hunger, with the Food Pantry remaining as a signature program of the new brand. Beyond Hunger is a member of the Hunger Free Communities Network, and its mission is to create hunger free communities in the Chicagoland area through collaboration, connection, and commitment.