The West Suburban Community Pantry strives to make its lobby a welcoming, dignified space, and Jeanne Sheridan is a big reason for that.

The octogenarian volunteer, attentive and warm, helps people know where to go and what to do. On a recent morning, she guided a woman with a young child to the pantry’s market in Woodridge. A quote attributed to Mother Teresa is displayed in a hallway: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

“Over the years, I’ve seen a lot, but especially now, and a lot of new people, which is kind of sad to see,” Sheridan said.

The pantry serves about 1,000 families every week through in-person and online markets. Visits over the last year were up about 15% compared to the previous one.

“You don’t have to tell us why you need X, Y, Z,” CEO Maeven Sipes said. “We just want you to come and get what you need and have one less worry.”

The pantry supports people living in DuPage and Will counties. A home delivery service is available for seniors. The nonprofit offers online ordering and pickup options to make food as accessible as possible. But it’s anticipating greater demand as a result of federal cuts to safety net programs.

‘So much uncertainty’

Sipes was hired about a year ago from the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The Geneva-based organization, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana released a joint hunger report in September, sounding the alarm “as SNAP cuts loom and costs soar.”

The food banks warned that “food insecurity is expected to grow in the coming months as devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the latest federal budget reconciliation bill go into effect.”

About one in four pantry households receive SNAP benefits, a number that can fluctuate through the year, Sipes said.

“For people who are trying to manage their lives and don’t really understand the SNAP program, you’re just hearing all these different things,” she said. “‘Am I going to lose it completely? Am I eligible? What does it mean?’ ”

“So it’s a very scary time,” Sipes said. “And we try to just continue to get the message out that you can come here and shop.”

A $500,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services helped reimburse the pantry for sourcing and purchasing food, operational supplies, program support and technology costs. It’s also slated to receive a pending $45,000 state grant. Both were secured by state Rep. Anne Stava.

“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,” Sipes said in an announcement of the funds.

Responding to the demand

The pantry places no limits on produce — people can take what they need. A produce row recently was stocked with corn on the cob, apples and other fresh items.

The pantry last year added more appointments for the in-person market. But its current home at the end of Hobson Valley Drive, in an industrial area, lacks visibility.

“We also know at some point in the next few years we’re going to need to find a new facility. These three units that we’re in, it’s not efficient,” Sipes said. “We don’t have parking for our volunteers and neighbors.”

In the short term, the pantry has launched its “October Meal Challenge” campaign to raise funds as it prepares for the holidays. The hope is to provide about 1,500 turkeys for families in November and December.

“Direct donations is really our greatest need,” Sipes said. “We’ll obviously take food donations as well, but for every dollar, we’re able to provide more than one meal, so we’re really able to stretch the dollars thanks to our donated food and our volunteer support.”

The pantry also connects people to resources other than food. Kids, for instance, can participate in summer camps facilitated by the pantry.

“We want to, again, really make people feel like they think of the pantry as this safe place and sort of build this community,” Sipes said. “Because we don’t want that shame and stigma of coming to ask for help.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251014/news/so-much-uncertainty-how-woodridge-food-pantry-is-dealing-with-demand/