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Cook County board hears rise in food-shelf demand as Ruby's Pantry closes; hub to open pop-up May 1
Summary
Presenters told the Cook County Public Health and Human Services Board that food-shelf use is up, Ruby's Pantry has closed, and the county will support a new pop-up run by the Hub starting May 1 while collecting summer data to guide longer-term changes.
On April 21, 2026, Cook County public health staff and community volunteers briefed the county's Public Health and Human Services Board on rising demand for local food resources after the closure of Ruby's Pantry and plans to transition a courthouse pop-up pantry to a Hub-run site.
Christina Matson, the county rea's State Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) coordinator, told the board the Grand Marais food shelf served about 120 households in March 2026. She summarized other utilization figures, saying SNAP averaged 121 households monthly and that 209 people were served in the reported snapshot (about 140 adults and 69 children), and that more than 40 families participated in WIC in 2025. Matson described school backpack programs that supply weekly food and $10 produce vouchers, and noted mobile distributions from Second Harvest Northern Lakes serve "100 to 150 shares monthly."
Carol Stender, a Food Access Council member and food-shelf board member, described a shift to the "SuperShelf" model that lets clients select food in a grocery-style layout. "We are committed to serve with dignity and respect those in our area who are in need," Stender said, citing new refrigeration and shopping carts and plans to order fresh produce at-cost through local suppliers.
The presenters said the county plans to "sunset" the courthouse pop-up pantry while supporting a similar pop-up the Hub plans to open; the Hub intends to begin publicizing its pop-up on May 1. Grace (director) said the county will help with technical support and transition planning so the Hub—an provide refrigeration and expanded fresh options the courthouse popup lacked.
Board members and presenters stressed constraints that limit access, including limited volunteer capacity and transportation barriers. Commissioners noted the Hub and Arrowhead Transit can reduce transport hurdles if residents call ahead; Arrowhead Transit now offers a pickup route to the food shelf on certain days. Stender said the food shelf needs more trained volunteers to expand hours (the shelf currently has limited weekday and one Wednesday evening schedule and is considering Monday evenings and Saturday mornings).
Commissioner Campbell noted several state-level bills that could affect local food access, including a proposed one-time $1 million prepared-meals grant, agricultural-support funding proposed for 2026, and a local-food purchasing grant program prioritizing underrepresented farmers. County staff said the Food Access Council operates a grant-working subcommittee to coordinate applications and reduce competing requests across nonprofits.
Presenters also outlined a data-collection plan. Matson said the county will collect quantitative utilization data and qualitative input through focus groups and interviews during the summer, with a report back to the board in the fall; the team plans to parse responses to account for seasonal, temporary worker and visitor populations when analyzing needs.
The board took no formal action on policy or funding at the meeting. Next steps announced by staff include supporting the Hub's May 1 pop-up launch, recruiting volunteers and drivers, completing summer data collection, and returning findings to the board in the fall for potential program or funding recommendations.
