DuPage County backs plan to expand Loaves & Fishes’ food hub, proposes $2.5 million contribution and a $2 million challenge grant

Loaves & Fishes CEO Mike Cabala told the DuPage County Board on March 10 that food insecurity in the county has grown sharply since 2019 and that his organization’s Hub 2.0 expansion could meaningfully increase capacity.

"Food insecurity has grown by 64% in DuPage County since 2019," Cabala said, and described Hub 2.0 as roughly a 32,000-square-foot addition that would double warehouse space and substantially increase refrigerated storage.

The project’s total cost across Hub 1.0 and the planned addition is about $12.5 million, Cabala said. "The number that's been proposed with DuPage County is 2 and 1/2 million dollars," he told the board, adding that Loaves & Fishes already had several million dollars committed from philanthropic partners but still needed to close the fundraising gap.

Why it matters: County staff told the board that DuPage has spent roughly $12.6 million on food-assistance and related infrastructure since 2020, and that a targeted county contribution could multiply local capacity. Supporters framed the Hub 2.0 investment as a long-term, bricks-and-mortar step expected to lower the per-person cost of food assistance over time.

Board discussion centered on three practical questions: how smaller, more remote pantries would receive food from a centralized hub; how the Hub’s costs and benefits would be apportioned across DuPage and neighboring counties that also use Loaves & Fishes; and whether the county should dedicate additional smaller grants to lower-capacity pantries.

Several members urged a stakeholder summit so county officials could better map pantry needs before committing additional funds. Member Evans said a summit would help identify whether transportation, storage or staffing were the biggest obstacles for smaller pantries; Member De Sart and others recommended ensuring grant programs are accessible to smaller community pantries.

County staff proposed a two-part funding package drawn from previously set-aside dollars: the $2.5 million contribution toward Hub 2.0 and a separate $2 million "DuPage Food Pantry Challenge Grant" intended to seed large, collaborative capital projects. Under the draft rules presented, a challenge-grant applicant would request no less than $500,000 and could not receive more than 50% of a project’s total cost; the county would require applicants to secure the remaining project funding by the end of 2027.

Supporters said the challenge-grant design is meant to incentivize regional collaboration and facilities that serve multiple pantries; critics warned a $500,000 floor and 50% match would exclude many small pantries and suggested creating a separate stream for more modest capital needs.

On timing and regional participation, board members noted that Loaves & Fishes already serves residents from other counties and urged staff to solicit formal commitments from Kane, Will and Kendall counties so costs and benefits are shared. Cabala said Loaves & Fishes has begun outreach and had some multi-year pledges in place but acknowledged more fundraising was required.

What passed/next steps: The chair said the board had provided consensus to move forward with the $2.5 million proposal as part of the 2026 budget process and directed staff to continue vetting the challenge-grant details and the broader two-year food strategy. No final appropriations vote for the Hub or the challenge grants occurred at the meeting; additional board action will be required to obligate funds.

Public comment and context: Before the presentation, a public commenter criticized unrelated county land-use discussions; that matter was handled separately during public comment. The Loaves & Fishes presentation and subsequent committee-level reports will return to the board for formal budget and appropriation votes later in the process.

Provenance: Portions of this article are based on the Loaves & Fishes presentation and the county staff plan presented to the board during SEG 415 (topic introduction) through SEG 1672 (presentation conclusion) and SEG 1673 through SEG 1970 (county strategy and challenge-grant details).