Patch Holiday Food Drive In DuPage Co.: Give To Feeding America

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, predicted this would happen as millions of Americans lost their jobs, their paychecks and even their businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic: Hunger is an urgent problem for about 92,292 people in DuPage County.

You can help. Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization’s 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors.

Now through Dec. 31, we’re encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.

Local resources include:

• Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, 493 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn
• Milton Township Food Pantry, 1492 N Main St., Wheaton
• West Suburban Community Pantry, 6809 Hobson Valley Dr. Ste 118, Woodridge
• Westmont Food Pantry, 117 N. Cass Ave., Westmont
• York Township Food Pantry, 1502 S Meyers Rd., Lombard

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Executive Director Laura Glaza told Patch, "We talk about DuPage County being one of the most wealthy counties in the state and yet hunger is around every corner. It might be your neighbor or a student in your child's class or a coworker who just can’t quite make ends meet. There are so many people nowadays who have to make a choice between going to the doctor or paying their rent or purchasing food. The food we provide frees up their finances for those other essentials.”

Glaza went added that the pandemic has put many people in a "really tough spot."

"In the realm of hunger relief," Glaza said, "our goal is to put ourselves out of business, so that everyone will have enough food to not be food insecure. This year has put a strain on that dream.”

Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year’s end because of the pandemic. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in DuPage County will rise to 10 percent in 2020, up from 5.9 percent in 2018.

Feeding America says that 80 percent of its food banks — or 4 in 5 — are serving more people than they were at the same time last year. With the pandemic worsening during the holiday season, many people who never before worried about how they’d pay for a holiday meal are turning to food banks for the first time.

From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 billion meals — enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America.

How To Support The Patch Holiday Food Drive

Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.