Ways to Give and Make A Difference

Make A Difference

Through your support, we have been able to increase both the quantity and quality of the food we provide, and in a significant strategic change, expanded our services to programs beyond food in order to help families toward overall self-sufficiency. Whether you make a donation, organize a food drive, or attend an event, realize that your kindness will make a difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. The foundation built over the years has positioned us to move forward with stronger purpose and greater impact.

Simply said, our vision is to end hunger and transform lives. We look forward to partnering with you!

Donate Food

DROP OFF HOURS

Food donations are accepted at the Loaves & Fishes location (1871 High Grove Lane, Naperville, IL 60540) during all regular business hours. Volunteers will be available to help unload your vehicle. Please make an appointment if you plan to drop off food outside of open hours.

MONDAY: 8am – 5pm TUESDAY: 8am – 5pm WEDNESDAY: 8am – 5pm THURSDAY: 8am – 5pm FRIDAY: 8am – 2pm SATURDAY: 8 am – 12pm SUNDAY: closed

When contributing foods to Loaves & Fishes, please select commercially packaged food items in cans or unbreakable containers. Consider donating healthy, low-fat and low-sugar products that our families are sure to appreciate and enjoy. For more information, please see our Nutrition Policy here.
You can find our most needed items here.

Loaves & Fishes cannot distribute:

open or used items
foods in rusty, severely damaged or unlabeled containers
outdated or expired food items
homemade canned goods or re-packaged goods
prepared foods that are unpackaged
alcoholic beverages
Sugary drinks
Candy
prescriptive medical supplements
PLEASE do not leave perishable food items in food collection bins without notifying an attendant.

Virtual Food Drive

Donate food drive items via our Virtual Food Drive

Get involved in the fight to end hunger with The Virtual Food Drive! “You click, families, eat!”

Loaves and Fishes Community Services is making it easier to help families in need with the Virtual Food Drive. With just a few clicks, any day of the year, you can purchase healthy food products at discounted prices that are most needed by our clients. This will help ensure that the shelves will continue to be stocked with nutritious food for our clients.

If you or your group is thinking of hosting a food drive or wants to give back, the Loaves & Fishes Virtual Food Drive offers a simple and convenient way to do just that. Through the Virtual Food Drive, you can purchase high-demand healthy products, such as milk, eggs or baby formula. Your dollars will also go further with the Virtual Food Drive because of Loaves & Fishes’ cooperative buying power.

To organize a Virtual Food Drive for your business or group,contact jwiltz@loaves-fishes.org
If you are participating with a group, be sure to indicate the name of your group in the form under “Company Name”.

Donate Cryptocurrency

YOU CAN NOW SUPPORT LOAVES & FISHES WITH CRYPTOCURRENCIES.

Cryptocurrency is a digital asset that functions as a form of payment. Loaves & Fishes uses Engiven to process cryptocurrency donations. The Engiven platform is a third-party donation software technology that enables Loaves & Fishes to safely and securely receive cryptocurrency donations. Loaves & Fishes can now accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 37 other cryptocurrency tokens. Click our crypto donation box to donate cryptocurrencies to Loaves & Fishes.

DONATE CRYPTOCURRENCY HERE

For more information or help donating cryptocurrencies, please contact Eric Gardner egardner@loaves-fishes.org, 630-355-3663 X 116.

Donate A Car

Donate an unwanted vehicle and help transform a life. Loaves & Fishes will first try to repair your car and give it to a working family in need, or sell it and use the funds to repair other donated cars. We accept all types of vehicles – any condition, running or not. There is no cost to you for the removal of the vehicle. A car donation to Loaves & Fishes is a qualified donation to a 501 (c) 3 under the US tax law. Please consult your tax advisor regarding your donation. To donate your car contact: Loaves & Fishes at 630.355.3663 or CARESprograms@loaves-fishes.org.

Together, we have donated more than 1500 cars to working families!

Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds, Appreciated Securities and IRA Gifts

We know that kindness and compassion are at the heart of your support. Here are a few ways to contribute that may provide tax benefits for you as well:

Donor Advised Fund – They are easy to set-up and are considered one of the most tax-advantageous ways to give. Once the fund is established, you can direct that a donation be made to Loaves & Fishes whenever you wish.
Appreciated Securities – Such as stocks and mutual funds, can be donated directly to Loaves & Fishes. Your donation and tax deduction is based on the market value of the security and you avoid paying tax on any appreciated value.
IRA – If you’re 70 ½, you can donate directly to Loaves & Fishes from your IRA. A qualified charitable distribution is not taxable and could satisfy some or all of your Required Minimum Distribution.

As always, please consult your tax advisor.

Please let us know if you plan to contribute in one of these ways. Should you wish to contribute appreciated securities, we’ll supply the account and DTC numbers your advisor will need.

Contact Nancy Wiersum at nwiersum@loaves-fishes.org or 630.355.3663 Ext. 117.

Appreciated Securities

Donor Advised Funds, Appreciated Securities and IRA Gifts

We know that kindness and compassion are at the heart of your support. Here are a few ways to contribute that may provide tax benefits for you as well:

Donor Advised Fund – They are easy to set-up and are considered one of the most tax-advantageous ways to give. Once the fund is established, you can direct that a donation be made to Loaves & Fishes whenever you wish.
Appreciated Securities – Such as stocks and mutual funds, can be donated directly to Loaves & Fishes. Your donation and tax deduction is based on the market value of the security and you avoid paying tax on any appreciated value.
IRA – If you’re 70 ½, you can donate directly to Loaves & Fishes from your IRA. A qualified charitable distribution is not taxable and could satisfy some or all of your Required Minimum Distribution.

As always, please consult your tax advisor.

Please let us know if you plan to contribute in one of these ways. Should you wish to contribute appreciated securities, we’ll supply the account and DTC numbers your advisor will need.

Contact Nancy Wiersum at nwiersum@loaves-fishes.org or 630.355.3663 Ext. 117.

IRA Gifts

Donor Advised Funds, Appreciated Securities and IRA Gifts

We know that kindness and compassion are at the heart of your support. Here are a few ways to contribute that may provide tax benefits for you as well:

Donor Advised Fund – They are easy to set-up and are considered one of the most tax-advantageous ways to give. Once the fund is established, you can direct that a donation be made to Loaves & Fishes whenever you wish.
Appreciated Securities – Such as stocks and mutual funds, can be donated directly to Loaves & Fishes. Your donation and tax deduction is based on the market value of the security and you avoid paying tax on any appreciated value.
IRA – If you’re 70 ½, you can donate directly to Loaves & Fishes from your IRA. A qualified charitable distribution is not taxable and could satisfy some or all of your Required Minimum Distribution.

As always, please consult your tax advisor.

Please let us know if you plan to contribute in one of these ways. Should you wish to contribute appreciated securities, we’ll supply the account and DTC numbers your advisor will need.

Contact Nancy Wiersum at nwiersum@loaves-fishes.org or 630.355.3663 Ext. 117.

Monthly Giving

Donate every month, make a difference every day!

Loaves & Fishes is currently serving more than 1,000 families a week in our food market. A monthly recurring donation will help to provide for these families each and every month. This will also help you spread your financial impact across the entire year; it helps us know how to plan and you as well.

The process is simple, click the donate button and choose Monthly Recurring Donation.

You may cancel or suspend your giving at any time.

Legacy Gifts-Planned Giving

What Will Your Legacy Be?

For more than 35 years, Loaves & Fishes Community Services has been serving families in need through healthy food and impactful programs for self-sufficiency. The support of our community has allowed this resounding commitment to struggling families to grow and evolve with the need. We are so deeply grateful to all the generous people who help bring our vital mission to life.

You can ensure your commitment to ending hunger and transforming lives continues through a planned gift which allows the momentum to continue. By including Loaves & Fishes in your estate plans, you can make an impact that lives on and on. Such a gift makes sure the Loaves & Fishes mission thrives into the future and ensures your legacy.

There are numerous ways to make a legacy gift; see below for some of them. When you indicate your intention to us, you will become part of our Feeding the Futures Legacy Circle. This generous group has indicated that a planned gift will eventually be made to Loaves & Fishes. All of us are forever grateful for the generosity and foresight of those in the Feeding the Future Legacy Circle.

Feeding the Future Legacy Circle members are honored at our Celebration of Compassion, on our donor recognition wall, in the Annual Report, and through a special recognition event. Even more important, they know that they are leaving an incredible personal legacy that reflects their generous spirit.

What is a Planned Gift?

A planned gift is a specially designated gift that is usually part of your overall estate or financial plan. Including a planned gift is a very simple and easy thing to do. A planned gift may be revocable or irrevocable, frequently provides financial benefit to the charity at a future date rather than currently, and is sometimes the largest gift a donor will make.

Types of planned gifts include:

Bequest

IRA Beneficiary Designation

Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation

Charitable Remainder Trust

Lead Trust

Gifts of Appreciated Securities

Real Estate Gifts

Bequest

Bequests can be designated in the donor’s will or living trust. You can choose to leave a specified amount or a percentage of your estate.

Sample wording:

“I give to Loaves & Fishes Community Services, located at 1871 High Grove Lane, Naperville, IL 60540 the following (here state the amount or percentage of your estate you plan to contribute) for general support to advance the mission of Loaves & Fishes Community Services.”

Note that if you already have a will or trust, there is no need to rewrite the documents. You can simply add an amendment to your existing will or trust document.

IRA Beneficiary Designation

Naming Loaves & Fishes Community Services as a beneficiary to your IRA is a simple way to make a planned gift.

Life Insurance Policy

Naming Loaves & Fishes Community Services as a beneficiary of your Life Insurance Policy is another way to make a planned gift.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A charitable remainder trust is an irrevocable trust that pays you during your lifetime. The remainder is paid to Loaves & Fishes upon your death.

Lead Trust

A lead trust is an irrevocable arrangement that provides annual gift income from the lead trust assets to Loaves & Fishes over a period of years. At the end of that period, the remaining assets are given to non-charitable beneficiaries, usually children or grandchildren. Lead trusts are particularly appropriate for assets that are likely to appreciate substantially over the life of the trust (typically 10-20 years).

Gifts of Securities

Instead of giving cash to Loaves & Fishes, appreciated securities such stock or mutual funds can be donated directly to Loaves & Fishes.

Real Estate Gift

There can be tremendous benefits to donating your home or vacation home to Loaves & Fishes. You will receive the tax benefit today and remain in your home as long as you would like. After you no longer live in the home, Loaves & Fishes would then take possession.

Please consult your advisor or attorney to determine the best way for you to give a Planned Gift.

All Planned Gifts are deeply appreciated and ensure that your legacy of compassion continues.

To learn more about Planned Giving to Loaves & Fishes, contact:

Eric Gardner at egardner@loaves-fishes.org – 630.355.3663 Ext. 116

Nancy Wiersum at nwiersum@loaves-fishes.org – 630.355.3663 Ext. 117

Nourishing Futures Sponsorships

Loaves & Fishes is serving more than 1,000 families each week through its food assistance and Loaves & Fishes CARES programs.

Loaves & Fishes grocery assistance provides access to a variety of healthy food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, proteins, milk and eggs with an emphasis on special care populations such as infants, children and seniors. Loaves & Fishes CARES programs provide low-income families with support to meet their immediate needs and achieve long-term self-sufficiency.

The Nourishing Futures Sponsorship provides vital support for the market and CARES programs.

Our tremendous gratitude to this month’s Nourishing Futures Sponsors!

Contact Nancy Wiersum, Vice President of Advancement at nwiersum@loaves-fishes.org or 630.355.3663 Ext. 117

The Nourishing Futures Sponsorships play a key role in the Loaves & Fishes’ vision

to end hunger and transform lives. Thank you for making a difference!

Sponsor an Event

Thank you for giving consideration to host an event to benefit Loaves & Fishes! If you are interested in sponsoring a Loaves & Fishes event, please email Joni Wiltz, Director of Marketing & Communications at jwiltz@loaves-fishes.org

Sponsors & Partners

We are grateful for the tremendous support of our partners. Collaboration is the foundation of our organization – by working together we can accomplish great things! Loaves & Fishes also partners with other community organizations to serve those in need.