As 2025 comes to a close, we are reflecting on a year defined by extraordinary need and an extraordinary response from the community.
More than 10,000 people a week rely on Loaves & Fishes across DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties—a reminder of both the scale of need and our profound gratitude for everyone who helped us respond.
This year, an unprecedented number of families arrived at Loaves & Fishes for the first time, many facing unexpected hardship and rising cost of living. Our Naperville Grocery Market and network of 12 additional distribution locations provided fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, and shelf-stable staples to help ensure no neighbor went without.
At the same time, the CARES Programs offered critical support—distributing $1,468,469 of emergency financial assistance, partnering with College of DuPage to offer English language classes, celebrating 10 new graduates of our Moving Up program—all designed to help clients move toward long-term self-sufficiency.
Loaves & Fishes’ hub and spoke distribution model, anchored by our Food Distribution Hub in Aurora, proved essential this year. Since opening the Hub in 2021 and expanding access points or “spokes” throughout our service area, we more than tripled the number of families served while lowering the cost to serve each client by 40 percent.
The impact has been profound. As one client, Kristen, shared, “I cannot thank you enough for all your help and generosity during this difficult time. I can’t imagine where we’d be without people like you.”
As the year ends, we are deeply grateful for the generosity and compassion of individuals, businesses, faith communities, and volunteers who have stepped up again and again. Donations, virtual food drives, and thousands of volunteer hours fueled the work when it was needed most.
With community support, Loaves & Fishes enters the new year hopeful—committed to ensuring that every family has the opportunity to thrive.
