One of the concerns that occupy my thoughts is, “What will need be like in the next year in our communities?”
The trends are not comforting.
As I write this, the fiscal year is not yet over and we are already over 100,000 people served. That growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down. While we once felt quite satisfied serving 400 families a week, we are now serving 700 families a week, not counting the people to whom we deliver food. This year, 92% of the people we served lived in our traditional service area. But as we are required by state law to serve anyone from Illinois who comes to us for the first time, we are picking up business from surrounding areas, including Streamwood, Bartlett, Hanover Park and Schaumburg. Over this past year, we have become the “port of entry” for people with temporary protective immigration status or political asylum, at first from Venezuela but now a growing trickle from Ukraine. Some will debate their status, and whether they are following the immigration rules (they are); we know them as people who need food.
Globally, the next year looks to be pretty tough. The World Bank expects a 40% increase in the price of wheat from fall of 2021. Prices are high due to the high cost of fuel, fertilizer and the closing off of exports from Russia and Ukraine. High costs of food drive people to us for help, but also create a reduction in contributions of food to Feeding America, Northern Illinois Food Bank and ourselves. It is expected by economists that the price of food will decline in 2023–we hope and pray that will be the case–but not before then.
What are we doing about all this?
- Organize a Hunger Summit in September to raise awareness about the need for food assistance in our communities.
- Work with Northern Illinois Food Bank to get more food resources devoted to the pantries of Northeast Kane County in order to meet the growing need for assistance here.
- Reach out to area foundations and corporations for money.
- Connect with area congressional leaders for assistance.
One of the lessons from this year’s Change for Hunger program was about how much good can be accomplished by a community working together for good. Let us learn from our children!
-Michael