With food scarcity a problem for those in need in the Fox Valley, the Rev. Matt Decola at Highpoint Church in North Aurora said the church’s food market program has been a true blessing.
“This ministry has been the heartbeat of our church I would say,” Decola, 37, said. “We want to meet real needs in our community, and believe that our church is called to that. We realize that we can’t meet every need, but we can meet some, and God’s been gracious over the last four to five years to allow us to meet many needs through our food market.”
Since before the pandemic, the church at 2301 Tanner Road in North Aurora has been offering participants in the program assistance in getting the food they need.
These days, volunteers stock shelves at the church’s food market during the week or meet anyone who comes in on food distribution day and helps them shop.
“This food market was born out of the pandemic when people were really struggling and food was scarce, and we had some opportunities and some relationships to kind of launch this, and it’s kind of continued from there,” Decola said.
Chris Nadr, operations manager, is credited with putting the food program together and said it began in 2019 and was originally set up where “people who needed groceries would come in but if they needed other services or assistance, we had resources for them.”
“When COVID hit, we transitioned to a drive-thru and people would drive up to the door and receive a bag of groceries and that was it,” Nadr said. “There were no requirements, no registration – just receive a bag of food.”
In October, the program morphed again after the overseer of the care program for all of the Highpoint Church campuses including Naperville and Wheaton “started negotiations with the Northern Illinois Food Bank in the summer of last year.”
Currently, a food pantry inside the church is opened on Monday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
“In the middle of October last year, we actually opened where we were in partnership with the food bank and our guests could actually come in and shop, so we did a whole transition,” Nadr said. “Guests now get to come in – they have choices and through a grant, we were able to get a commercial freezer and a commercial fridge and offer those kinds of items instead of just your basic dry goods staples.”
Guests are now required to register and receive a card with a client number on it, Nadr said, and “that’s what they use at any of the food banks registered with the Northern Illinois Food Bank.”
Guests shop with a small cart in the pantry and when they are done choosing their items, tables are waiting and their groceries are packed by volunteers and then given to the guests.
Supplies, Nadr said, “come from our budget, from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, and some donations,” adding that because of those connections, the pantry also offers “personal items like shampoo, soap, toothpaste and other things as well as items in the commercial freezer and refrigerator.”
Inside the refrigerator, Nadr said one can find a revolving assortment of things such as butter, pickles, fresh apples, celery, radishes and more, with the freezer offering “chicken nuggets, diced chicken, pepperoni, hamburger, pot pies, a few whole turkeys” and other items.
Nancy Vega of Aurora visited the food market at the church on Monday and said she has been coming since the drive-thru option was offered.
“This is really helpful because of rent, groceries skyrocketing and so many things,” she said. “People here are so nice. They give you a card, they check you through and when your number is called you go. They have a lot more options.”
North Aurora Village President Mark Gaffino said he is proud that the church he has attended the past three years provides the local assistance.
“During COVID, it was huge,” Gaffino said. “These are unsung heroes and I remember during COVID, people were parking all the way down the street. Back then, they’d bring stuff out to the car but now they have sort of a store. You don’t have to be a member of the church or anything. People just show up.”
Decola said the program has definitely improved over time.
“We’ve had to ask our community ‘What do they need?’ and I think you start by guessing,” he said. “Over time, we’ve developed some relationships with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Jewel and some other partnerships that have allowed us to provide a higher quality of food and produce and then also partnerships with other organizations whether they be shelters or places that provide subsidized housing.
“Often the people that are unsure with food have other insecurities,” Decola added. “It’s been the heartbeat of our church. We designate quite a large percentage of resources, and we’re not just meeting needs but developing a lot of great relationships in our community.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
