Health Facts
Food insecurity is an indicator of the percentage of the population experiencing limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate food for their well being. Food insecurity is closely associated with income levels, employment, and the development of chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity and mental health issues. The annual income needed by a one-parent family with a preschooler and school-age child to maintain self-sufficiency in DuPage County in 2011 was $65,321.
In cooperation with Impact DuPage, Loaves & Fishes monitors important indicators that tell the story of our community needs.
Additional Articles and Information
- FARE – Food Access Raises Everyone
- 2018 Hunger Summit
- Addressing Food Insecurity in Health Care Settings
- Heartland Alliance Annual Poverty Report
- Food Insecurity, the Federal Nutrition Programs and Health
- Food Security Symposium at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital
- “Food Security in the U.S.” United States Department of Agriculture
- “Hunger is a Vital Sign; Vaccinating Communities Against Hunger By Empowering Food-Insecure Families.” Dr. John Cook, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and a Principal Investigator for Children’s HealthWatch.
- DuPage Hunger Study 2014 Prepared for Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Ending Hunger at Loaves & Fishes
Check out how many of our neighbors we helped in this fiscal year (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020).
Community Health Partners
Screen and Intervene program
Loaves & Fishes is working with service organizations in our community to address food insecurity issues effectively and conveniently. The following information provides a brief description of recommended protocol for our SCREEN AND INTERVENE community health partners.
- USE THE HUNGER VITAL SIGN TO IDENTIFY FOOD INSECURITY
The “Hunger Vital Sign” is a simplified, two-question screening tool that can be used by agency partners to identify households struggling with food insecurity. The screening questions are included below in both English and Spanish.
Screening Questions- Food Insecurity
- INVITE THE CLIENT TO VISIT LOAVES & FISHES
All households served by our community health partners are welcome to visit Loaves & Fishes at 1871 High Grove Lane in Naperville to shop for food during our grocery hours. If the household is a resident of DuPage County, they are already eligible for services. If the household lives outside of our service area, community partners can issue a Loaves & Fishes Service Voucher to the family which will allow them to shop temporarily as your referral.
Note: Service Vouchers should be obtained directly from Loaves & Fishes staff. They cannot be copied and are not transferable.
To provide information on Loaves & Fishes Community Services:
Welcome – English / Welcome – Spanish
- PROVIDE GROCERIES FOR YOUR CLIENT
If your client is unable to come to the market to pick up food, your agency representative can shop our grocery store on behalf of the client or request pre-packed food boxes to bring to your client on your next visit.
FORMS
Please make sure that all first-time clients are registered with Loaves & Fishes. Your client should fill out a registration form, which is required for the FIRST visit only.
Registration – English / Registration – Spanish
To shop for your client, please provide a proxy on your visit, and come during our normal shopping hours.
Proxy – English / Proxy – Spanish
If you don’t have time to shop, community partners can request prepacked groceries for the family visit. No preordering is needed, and prepacked orders are available on a walk-in basis. Please provide a proxy from your client on your visit.
Proxy – English / Proxy – Spanish
Please direct any questions to:
Jane Macdonald
jmacdonald@loaves-fishes.org
Food Security Forum
While DuPage County has a solid and committed group of Emergency Food Providers, food security is a complex issue involving the availability, affordability and accessibility of healthy and nutritious foods for all income levels in all communities. DuPage County needs a structured approach to address and coordinate community efforts that build food security and support well-being goals for all households. In building a cross sector forum for discussion and information exchange, DuPage County will advance all levels of the community food system.
As a beginning effort, Loaves & Fishes Community Services hosted a Food Security Symposium on September 22, 2017, at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, IL. The Symposium focused on informing key stakeholders from across DuPage County about food insecurity issues, introduced innovative strategies that promote food security, and engaged community participants in discussions to build a strong food system in DuPage County.
From those initial discussions, subgroups were formed to further investigate key objectives for the county. The Nutrition Education and Community Training group will collaborate with agencies throughout DuPage to provide consistent and ongoing access to nutrition education. The Grower Coordination group will build agricultural initiatives in the county and build grower connections to schools and other local institutions. The Defining Parameters group will work to develop countywide measures or indicators that assess good food systems.
Moving forward, the Food Security Council will continue to engage the community in discussions that promote better access to healthy and affordable foods for all cultures and economic groups. The council will strive to build food security in DuPage County through the development of food systems which are accessible, sustainable, and health promoting. The council meetings will provide opportunities to inform community members of initiatives and network with organizations that contribute to this success.
2019 Food Security Forum
Introduction to FSC1. Introduction
G Turner IPHI Dupage Food
Impact DuPage2. G Turner_IPHI
My Food Pantry Project
Link Up Illinois Link Match Program
