Food Justice

Most residents of the United States take food security, the access to food, without even thinking of it but there are still plenty of people who wonder where their next meal is coming from. DuPage County, and especially Naperville where I live, is a relatively wealthy area but despite the wealth there are residents with low income or live in food desert that must search out food supplies. Some resources including food pantry, government assistance, nonprofit, grocery stores and even restaurants and farms are listed as places to obtain food either via donations or purchasing. A quick Google search can lead to other similar resources.

Food pantry: Loaves and Fish. https://www.loaves-fishes.org/

A food pantry in Naperville IL  that accepts donations of food from retailers and the general public to feed those without food or on low income.  Other local pantries: are Feed My Starving Children 

https://www.fmsc.org   and Northern Illinois Food Bank https://solvehungertoday.org/. There are other pantries in most towns and cities.

Food stamps:  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=30357

SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, provides a safety net for the less well off. Different states manage it differently, but Illinois loads a Link card that can then be used at grocery and convenience  stores to purchase food. It can provide food security for those with low income.

Non-Profit Resources:  http://www.peoplesrc.org/ 

Based in Wheaton IL this organization provides not only their own pantry but services with job assistance, computer training and other resources for those needing their help. Sometimes finding employment can start a person back on the path to a better life including food security.

Grocery: https://www.jewelosco.com/home.html 

Naperville and DuPage County as an abundance of grocery stores where residents can purchase groceries to feed their families. Jewel is one grocery example. Although considered local they were sold to a national grocery chain. They accepted SNAP.

Restaurants:  https://www.maggianos.com/      https://www.bk.com/

Two good examples of vastly different restaurants. Maggiano’s is a local Italian (owned by Lettuce Entertain You, a national restaurant group) who serve gourmet food. They are known for their fine pasta and meat dishes.  Burger King are a fast food burger chain famous for the “Whooper” burger. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner although the last two are the same menu. Prices are cheap as they compete with McDonald’s and much of their products are loaded with fat and salt and upsizing (supersizing) is common.   

Farms:  https://www.kellersfarmstand.com/

Farm stands and Farmers markets operate spring through autumn primarily to sell fresh fruit and vegetables and other food items right from the local farms. Some farms such as Keller have their own permanent food “stand” locations while other farms will attend weekly farmers market at various convenient locations. Most of the fresh product is likely to be organic having been grown on local smaller farms that are less likely to use chemicals.

Conclusion

Naperville and DuPage have plenty of place to obtain food. Most people will go to the local grocery store such as Jewel but for others food pantries are in most areas and will provide items for those in need or the government can provide assistant via SNAP.

(all photos from the various websites)