DuPage County leaders are poised to decide Tuesday whether to pour $2.5 million of public money into Loaves & Fishes' Hub 2.0 expansion in Aurora, a move the nonprofit says would help double its distribution center and supercharge cold storage for fresh food. If the cash is approved, it would join private philanthropic dollars and speed up an approximately $8 million buildout meant to widen food access across DuPage and nearby counties.
County Board Faces Big Food-Access Vote
The proposed $2.5 million would come out of the county’s fiscal 2025 surplus and be set aside for construction and infrastructure at the Aurora hub. Board members are also expected to weigh another $2 million for the Northern Illinois Food Bank to keep a fresh-produce purchase program going over two years, according to Shaw Local.
What Hub 2.0 Brings To The Table
Loaves & Fishes says Hub 2.0 would tack on about 32,000 square feet to the Aurora facility, pushing the total to roughly 62,000 square feet, and would nearly quadruple cold-storage capacity, which organizers describe as critical for getting healthy food out to partner pantries. Construction is slated to start in 2026 and wrap up in 2027, according to Loaves & Fishes.
Health System Steps Up With Major Philanthropy
The project already has a heavyweight backer on the health-care side. Endeavor Health’s Community Investment Fund selected Loaves & Fishes as its first Impact Award recipient and pledged about $1 million per year for five years, roughly $5 million in all, to support Hub 2.0 and related programming. Endeavor cast the award as a bet on food access as a key driver of community health, according to Endeavor Health.
Local Need By The Numbers
Loaves & Fishes CEO Mike Havala told county officials that the Endeavor commitment works out to about $700,000 a year earmarked for the hub’s bricks-and-mortar needs and that demand has been climbing faster than pantry capacity. The total project cost sits at around $8 million, and the organization currently serves nearly 4,000 DuPage residents each week while providing roughly $12 million worth of food to county residents in its most recent fiscal year, according to Shaw Local.
What Happens If The Money Passes
County officials are expected to take up the measure at their next meeting, and if it clears the board, the $2.5 million would be drawn from surplus funds identified in the 2025 fiscal cycle. Loaves & Fishes says Hub 2.0 will give partner pantries free cold and dry storage space and create new distribution spokes, changes organizers say will cut per-client costs and speed up delivery of fresh food throughout DuPage and neighboring counties, according to Loaves & Fishes.
