State Rep. Anne Stava has obtained two state grants totaling $545,000 in support of West Suburban Community Pantry’s efforts to provide food and support services to the growing population of DuPage and Will counties facing food insecurity.

A grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services [IDHS] to West Suburban Community Pantry for $500,000 was approved and awarded to the pantry to support operations in sourcing and distributing food to neighbors experiencing food insecurity in DuPage and Will counties.

In addition, Stava secured $45,000 in funding from the Department of Commerce and Economic Development.

Stava began talking with the pantry in early 2024 about increased need in the community and the numerous ways WSCP was meeting the challenge. The pantry’s commitment to accessibility of both nutritious foods and services, by connecting neighbors with support including SNAP benefits, utility assistance and job training were evident in her discussions.

The IDHS grant is one of the largest ever received by the pantry and it comes at a critical time. The pantry is currently serving 1,000 families each week.

“At a time when our neighbors are experiencing so much uncertainty and diminished resources from the federal government, this grant had made a transformational impact on the pantry’s ability to meet our community’s needs,“ pantry Maeven Sipes said in a news release.

“The pantry had over 48,000 visits from DuPage and Will counties last year, a 15% increase from the prior year. We provided 3.2 million meals, and we are anticipating even greater need in the coming months. Thanks to support from the community, the state of Illinois and Representative Stava, we will be better equipped to meet that need.”

“As communities across our state reckon with cuts to critical services including food stamps and farm subsidies that will almost certainly have far-reaching impacts on our food supply and the ability of Illinois families to access proper nutrition, the work of organizations like West Suburban Community Pantry—already important—will become even more so,” Stava said in the news release.

Visit www.wscpantry.org and Facebook and Instagram to learn more.