Volunteer News

What does it mean to be a Loaves & Fishes volunteer?

On Monday, May 19th from 4-7 pm, Loaves & Fishes will be hosting an open house for any community members interested in becoming volunteers. Our volunteer base of over 1,500 makes our progress and success possible, and we are always looking for new team members that are interested in giving back and helping our neighbors… Read more »


Loaves & Fishes evolves their service opportunities

Today marks the first request for food made to St. Raphael Catholic Church, answered by what would soon become Loaves & Fishes. As the demand for our services grew, the outpouring of community support was inspiring. As we reach our 30th year anniversary (which will kick off at Day Without Hunger), Loaves & Fishes is… Read more »


L&F volunteers honored in community

At Loaves & Fishes, we are privileged to work alongside many talented individuals who put in countless hours to make a difference in our community. This month, Jim & Patrice Lia, who received the Fireball Award in November from Loaves & Fishes, were named Volunteers of the Month by Naperville Bank & Trust. “When first… Read more »


Celebration of Compassion recognizes distinguished service of volunteers and supporters

[imagebrowser id=8]On November 8th, Loaves & Fishes held the Celebration of Compassion at the Celebration Community Life Center in Naperville to announce this year’s honorees. Guests included major supporters as well as volunteers who donated more than 100 hours of time during the year ended June 30th. Charles McLimans presented the awards, donated by John… Read more »


We’ve got spirit, yes we do, Halloween spirit, ghosts say BOO!

photo 2

In Mississippi, the infamous Chupacabra has made reported appearances. In Rhode Island, a snowman is terrorizing pedestrians. At Loaves & Fishes, we have had the pleasure of seeing the spirit(s) of Halloween incarnated by our volunteers!


Naperville Eats: Marjorie McIntosh on CROP Walk

Marj McIntosh, Loaves & Fishes’ volunteer extraordinaire, was featured in a Naperville Sun article for her dedication to ending hunger! Here is an excerpt from the article: [McIntosh] is part of the annual effort to raise funds to feed the hungry through the annual CROP Hunger Walk, a national event sponsored by Church World Service… Read more »


Loaves & Fishes Receives Spirit of Volunteerism Award

The DuPage Community Foundation announced the selection of its 2013 Spirit of Volunteerism Awards recipients, which have been graciously funded by BMO Harris Bank and an anonymous donor. This year, DuPage Pads received a $30,000 grant; Loaves & Fishes Community Services received a $20,000 grant; and RE:NEW received a $10,000 grant. Established in 2011, the Spirit of Volunteerism Awards were created… Read more »


Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Results

The VITA team, headed by L&F volunteer Tom Wcisel, held their final session at Loaves & Fishes on April 13. At the end of the day, the volunteer tax team had completed 362 returns for the community, yielding $576,000 in Federal refunds and $54,000 in state refunds. That’s an increase in clients of 19% over… Read more »


Gardening Update: 2,500 pounds donated so far!

From Ron Ory, September 17: Some of you may have forgotten that months ago we started with a patch of dirt… Faced the hardships of slugs… Lack of nutrients in the soil… And usually found the rain gauge on empty… You probably pondered with other gardeners about our chances… But you kept going, planting, watering… Read more »


Naperville Community Gardening Update

from Ron Ory: Since the nights are now starting to cool, we planted four flats of lettuce started by Pat, and seen here being watered by Ellie: And the harvest continues: We’re over 2,300 pounds! Thank you, Master Gardeners and Naperville Community Gardeners! Published with permission from Loaves & Fishes Community Services Source.