Above / Loaves & Fishes gets set to do a formal announcement regarding landmark gift of $5 million at the Aurora Hub Facility on Dec. 10, 2025. (Photo courtesy Loaves & Fishes)
Below, Updated Dec. 11, 2025 / Photo Gallery includes Mike Havala, President & CEO of Loaves & Fishes Community Services, speaking to guests at the Food Distribution Hub in Aurora, celebrating the official announcement of the launch of Hub 2.0. Also, J.P. Gallagher, President & CEO of Endeavor Health, is pictured addressing the gathering.
In addition, Megan Lynch, EVP Advancement of Loaves & Fishes Community Services; Kristen Refness, Director, Financial Planning & Analysis, Endeavor Health, are pictured with Gallagher and Havala at the Food Distribution Hub in Aurora.
Photos Courtesy Loaves & Fishes
Loaves & Fishes Community Services Report
Loaves & Fishes Community Services today announced the launch of Hub 2.0, a transformational facility expansion designed to significantly increase access to fresh, healthy food for families across DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties. Hub 2.0 is the cornerstone of Nourish Together, a bold regional initiative that can more than double the number of neighbors served and strengthen collaboration with partner food pantries.
Supporting this initiative, Loaves & Fishes is also honored to announce a landmark lead gift of $5 million through the newly established Impact Award from the Endeavor Health Community Investment Fund. Loaves & Fishes is the first organization selected to receive this new grant, underscoring the regional significance of the project and the urgency of improving food access for families across our region. This lead commitment provides crucial momentum for the Nourish Together initiative.
Meeting Record Need with Regional Solutions and Collaboration
As the largest food pantry in the state of Illinois, Loaves & Fishes is currently serving more than 10,000 people each week—the highest levels in its 41-year history. This scale is achieved through our regional hub and spoke distribution model anchored by the Aurora Hub, where food is received, stored, and prepared for distribution. From there, food is delivered to thirteen distribution points or “spokes” across the community, including the Naperville Market, ensuring families can access fresh, healthy food close to where they live. This coordinated regional approach has strengthened efficiency, expanded access, and lowered our cost to serve clients by 40 percent.
To build on this proven model and meet rising need, Loaves & Fishes is launching a community-centered expansion that adds 32,000 square feet, doubling the size of the current Aurora Hub facility and nearly quadrupling cold storage capacity, which is essential for distributing healthy food. Hub 2.0 will expand Loaves & Fishes’ reach by creating additional spoke locations in neighborhoods with the greatest unmet need, bringing healthy food even closer to families across the region. It will also elevate collaboration across the charitable food network by providing dedicated space at no cost for partner pantries and supporting distribution of healthy food. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and be completed in 2027.
A Transformational Partnership
The Endeavor Health Community Investment Fund Impact Award is designed to support collaborative, five-year initiatives that drive measurable, long-term change in the communities Endeavor Health serves. This award provides approximately $1 million per year for five years, focusing on initiatives that improve existing systems and foster innovation through cross-sector partnerships.
“For many years, Endeavor Health and Loaves & Fishes have worked side by side to address food insecurity as a social driver of health in our communities,” said Kristen Murtos, Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer of Endeavor Health. “This partnership has always been grounded in shared values and a belief that lasting change comes from collaboration. Hub 2.0 represents an exciting next chapter where we build on what we’ve already achieved together and invest boldly in a future where access to healthy food is stronger, more equitable, and more sustainable for the families we serve.”
“For many years, Endeavor Health and Loaves & Fishes have worked side by side to address food insecurity as a social driver of health in our communities,” said Kristen Murtos, Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer of Endeavor Health. “This partnership has always been grounded in shared values and a belief that lasting change comes from collaboration. Hub 2.0 represents an exciting next chapter where we build on what we’ve already achieved together and invest boldly in a future where access to healthy food is stronger, more equitable, and more sustainable for the families we serve.”
For many years, Endeavor Health has been a key partner with Loaves & Fishes in expanding access to nutritious food for families across the region. Endeavor Health’s commitment helped establish a spoke location at Endeavor Health’s Plainfield facility, increased the capacity to rescue and transport fresh food through critical truck funding, and supported essential healthy food purchases. Endeavor Health has also supported extended evening and weekend shopping hours at the Naperville Grocery Market, helping more neighbors access food when they need it most.
“Given the increase in food insecurity and the continued challenges many families face, this moment calls for bold, collaborative action,” said Mike Havala, CEO of Loaves & Fishes Community Services. “Hub 2.0 will strengthen our region’s ability to respond to hunger at scale. We are honored to be the inaugural recipient of Endeavor Health’s Impact Award, which affirms the importance of this work and allows us to move forward with expanding the capacity our community needs.”
About Loaves and Fishes Community Services
Loaves & Fishes Community Services is a registered 501(3) organization serving over 10,000 people a week by providing healthy food and impactful programs for self-sufficiency. It is the largest food pantry in the state of Illinois. Clients receive a healthy variety of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and eggs. The Loaves & Fishes CARES programs help clients become self-sufficient through opportunities such as emergency assistance for rent or utilities, assistance with public benefits, car donations, tax preparation, job readiness, budgeting, and credit classes, as well as Moving Up. This intensive program helps clients overcome barriers preventing them from achieving self-sufficiency. Loaves & Fishes serves DuPage, Will, Kane, and Kendall counties. Loaves & Fishes Grocery Market and its administrative offices are located in Naperville, and the Food Distribution Hub is situated in Aurora.
For more information, visit loaves-fishes.org.
About Endeavor Health
Endeavor Health℠ is a Chicagoland-based integrated health system driven by our mission to help everyone in our communities be their best. As Illinois’ third-largest health system and third-largest medical group, we proudly serve an area of more than 4.1 million residents across seven northeast Illinois counties. Our more than 28,300 team members, including more than 1,900 employed physicians, are the heart of our organization, delivering seamless access to personalized, pioneering, world-class patient care across more than 300 ambulatory locations and nine hospitals, including eight Magnet-recognized acute care hospitals – Edward (Naperville), Elmhurst, Evanston, Glenbrook (Glenview), Highland Park, Northwest Community (Arlington Heights), Skokie and Swedish (Chicago) and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health Hospital (Naperville).
For more information, visit www.endeavorhealth.org.
