This July marks the 10th anniversary of the merger between Naperville CARES and Loaves & Fishes Community Services—a milestone celebrating a decade of innovation, collaboration, and commitment to helping families achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
The roots of CARES stretch back to 1999, when community leaders recognized the need for a coordinated approach to supporting residents facing hardship. CARES was founded to help families avoid homelessness by coordinating resources and services and addressing the challenges that accompany financial crisis.
By 2016, CARES leaders had begun implementing concepts from Bridges Out of Poverty, which focuses on the complexities of poverty to help families build pathways forward. Expanding that work required additional resources.
The merger with Loaves & Fishes transformed how support was delivered. Instead of navigating multiple agencies and application processes, families gained access to food assistance, financial support, employment resources, public benefits assistance, and other services through one coordinated organization.
“The number one goal of the merger was to provide services in a more dignified and efficient manner,” said Janet Derrick, former Executive Director of Naperville CARES and later Vice President of CARES Programs at Loaves & Fishes. “It met all our expectations and became the impetus to transform and grow Loaves & Fishes into one of the premier service agencies in our community.”
“The merger created a better way to serve our community by bringing essential resources together in one place, allowing individuals and families to access the support they need more seamlessly,” said Mary Boulos, AVP of CARES Programs. “As we look to the future, we’re building on that legacy by investing in the people, technology, partnerships, and spaces needed to meet the challenges of the next decade and help more people achieve lasting stability.”
Today, the merger stands as a powerful example of what can happen when organizations unite to better serve our community. As the need in our community continues to grow, Loaves & Fishes is planning to grow the CARES programs through the Nourish Together Campaign, continuing the commitment to provide compassionate, coordinated support that helps neighbors thrive.
