Jody Bender: Naperville Patch's 2011 Person of the Year

Editor’s note: We asked readers who they thought we should choose as our “Person of the Year” and readers responded. This is the first year we have asked readers to choose a person of the year and we are happy to say that there was a clear winner. What better way to end the year than on a positive note honoring someone who works hard to make Naperville a better place to live, particularly for those who are in need.

The Naperville Patch 2011 Person of the Year is Jody Bender. Jody Bender is the community relations director for .

A few of the people who nominated Bender offered comments about her when making their nominations. Here are a few of those comments:

“She works so hard for the community.”

“She works tirelessly to help others in our community!” 

“Loaves & Fishes has a face to go with the name.  Jody Bender is everywhere doing everything she can with everyone she can to raise awareness about the needy.  She is AWESOME!”

We at Naperville Patch couldn’t agree more. And, while we would be happy to write about anyone chosen for our Person of the Year, we were quite pleased to learn Jody Bender was going to receive the honor for 2011.

When Naperville Patch was just getting off the ground, and as we made our way around the community, one of the first meetings we had was with Bender. She was warm, welcoming and interested in what we were doing at Patch.

On numerous occasions, Bender has provided us with the names of people in the community worth profiling or interviewing and she has been a great source for information regarding Loaves & Fishes.

One thing that is clear to us and that is probably clear to those who know her is that Bender is always thinking of others. That was the case with our Person of the Year nominations. Bender said she was trying to think of someone she could nominate for the honor.

“I am in complete and utter shock,” was her response when she learned that the honor was hers. 

Bender has worked at Loaves & Fishes for eight years. She started working at the food pantry part-time as an administrative assistant, it was a good part-time job for her while her children, now in their 20s, were in middle school, she said. 

When Bender started working at Loaves & Fishes, the nonprofit really only had one major fundraising event a year, she said. Over time her role changed, as did the number of fundraisers the nonprofit held. By 2008-09 the number of fundraising events began to take off, she said.

Though she answered a blind advertisement when she applied for her administrative job, Bender who is Italian said it seemed fitting that she would be working at a food pantry. 

“Food is a big deal in my family,” she said.

Before Bender was hired at the pantry, she said, “I didn’t even know that there was anyone who needed help in Naperville,” adding that people tend to think of the downtown or the , but don’t realize there are people in need living in the community.

The first holiday season she worked at the pantry was a revelation for her, she said. Seeing the number of people who needed help was hard, particularly the families who were in need of toys for their children.

One moment clearly stands out over the eight years she has worked for Loaves & Fishes, she said. It was around Christmastime in 2003. A man came in who needed toys for his five children and was so grateful for the gifts he received, she said. Bender was there with Harol-Deane Garren, a volunteer who was also a board member at the nonprofit. 

“We were fighting back tears and I asked her ‘does it ever get easier?’ and she said: ‘No, it doesn't, you just get more empathetic with people.’” 

It wasn’t hard for her to empathize. When she was newly married in 1980 the country was in a recession and things weren’t easy for Bender and her husband Jack.

“It was difficult then and there didn’t seem to be many resources,” she said. “We muddled through fine.” 

In her role at Loaves & Fishes, Bender said that she has been a witness to the tough times many people in the community are experiencing. 

“There are so many people who things just went bad for them and they needed help,” she said.

“I love the fact that I can help people here by talking with them and listening,” she said. “But, then also by going out into the community and advocating for them.”

Her role allows her to connect with others in the community, whether individuals, businesses or other nonprofits.

“The fact that I can help raise awareness and make things better for people here is incredible,” she said, adding that people come to her with ideas for events because they know Loaves & Fishes and they know her.

Her role at Loaves & Fishes has allowed her to become more outgoing, because Bender said when she was growing up she was shy and only recently started to open up. She credits her boss Charles McLimans with giving her the opportunities to get more involved, particularly with social media like Facebook. 

When she is out in the community, “I am not asking for myself, I am out asking for help for others. It takes me out of myself and gives me more confidence.”

Using Facebook for work has led her to build relationships and friendships, she said. Often she connects first with people through social media and through the connections that are made friendships are built.

“We are continually amazed at the people who want to partner with us,” Bender said. “And, when we get these opportunities, it’s so fun. I like to call it friendraising. … Life has exploded—it’s like I’ve found my passion.” 

Bender said her mother Edie Morello had a lot to do with who she is today. When she was growing up family was always very important and relatives were always coming and going. Time was spent together at home or at a relative’s, she said. 

“You would step up to help family,” she said.

Now, in her role at Loaves & Fishes she is in a sense helping her extended family, in her community.

When Morello learned her daughter would be honored as the Person of the Year, she was ecstatic, Bender said.

“She comes to visit and sees what I am doing and is happy,” Bender said.

Bender is pretty happy with where her career is at and she’s thankful for those who nominated her for Person of the Year.

“It's incredible to see that people see you as a person and to see what I am trying to do in the community and to appreciate that," she said. "... I love to bring out what other people are doing. It’s a wonderful thing to bring people out of the shadows. Now, it’s been turned around on me. It’s ironic."