Give Kane County Residents The Dignity Of A Sunday Supper

KANE COUNTY, IL — A holiday that doesn’t appear on traditional calendars — National Sunday Supper Month, observed through Jan. 31 — takes on added importance as so many Kane County residents struggle to get enough to eat as they cope with coronavirus pandemic-related job losses, business closures and other economic hardships.

The idea behind National Sunday Supper Month is to rediscover the tradition of families spending time together at the dinner table to share stories from the previous week, according to Isabelle Laessig, the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement.

For nearly 62,000 people in Kane County, lavish Sunday evening meals — or any meals — aren’t in the budget. That’s according to a projection by Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, that as many as 50 million Americans faced food insecurity at the end of 2020.

You can help with a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America, which says the economic fallout of the pandemic has sent millions of Americans to food banks for the first time. For every $1 you give, Feeding America is able to provide 10 meals through its network of 200 food banks that serve and supply 60,000 food pantries, kitchens and meal programs.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank is Feeding America's local partner. The organization supplies more than 900 partners, like markets and food pantries.

Since the start of the pandemic, the need for food assistance has grown by nearly 50 percent each month across the 13 suburban and rural areas it serves, Northern Illinois Food Bank CEO Julie Yurko said.

In October, the organization distributed 9.7 million meals, or about 11.6 million pounds of food.

"The statistics are alarming: 1 in 9 people and 1 in 6 children in northern Illinois are facing hunger," Yurko said. "Many are experiencing reduced work hours, furloughs, layoffs and/or illness due to COVID-19 and flu season."

The Northern Illinois Food Bank recently estimated that over 60 percent of neighbors in the area may be food insecure.

In the months ahead, Yurko and her team expect food insecurity to continue to grow at record rates. Winter brings difficult trade-offs as families choose between paying bills, like heat or buying groceries.

If you’re among those struggling to find enough food — or if you want to volunteer — here are some resources here in Kane County:

Northern Illinois Food Bank (Feeding America partner)
273 Dearborn Court, Geneva — 630-443-6910

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry
834 N. Highland Ave., Aurora — 630-897-5431

Fox Valley Hispanic SDA Pantry
505 E. New York St., Aurora — 630-898-0410

Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry
1110 Jericho Road, Aurora — 630-897-2127

Holy Angels Pantry
204 S. Russell Ave., Aurora — 630-897-2478

Salvation Army - Aurora
437 E. Galena Boulevard, Aurora — 630-897-7265

Two Rivers Head Start Aurora
1661 Landmark Road, Aurora — 630-264-1444

Food for Greater Elgin
1553 Commerce Dr., Elgin — 847-931-9330

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Soup Kettle
330 S. Griswold, Elgin — 847-888-2882

Community Crisis Center
37 S. Geneva St., Elgin — 847-697-2380

All Peoples Interfaith Food Pantry
256 E. Chicago St., Elgin — 847-741-2329

Salvation Army - St. Charles
1710 S. 7th Ave., St. Charles — 630-377-2769

St. Peter Food Pantry
1891 Kaneville Road, Geneva — 630-232-0124

Shepherd's Heart Food Pantry
2300 South St., Geneva — 630-232-7068

Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry
100 Flinn St., Batavia — 630-879-3784

South Elgin Food Pantry
400 W. Spring St., South Elgin — 847-931-0563

Between Friends Food Pantry
52 Wheeler Road, Sugar Grove — 630-991-3138

Sunday evening suppers don’t just nourish the body.

The importance of the family meal — often the only time of the day when the entire family spends time together — is firmly grounded in research, which shows sitting down together to eat doesn’t just nourish the body but also has social, physical and emotional benefits.

The Sunday Supper Movement traces back to 2012, when food blogger Isabel Laessig’s oldest child left home for college and left her longing for the time spent in the kitchen and with family at mealtime. She and eight other bloggers Laessig said were “passionate about bringing families together to cook and eat together” held the first virtual progressive Sunday Supper.

How to Help

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimated that by the end of 2020, more than 50 million Americans did not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.