The families picking up food at the Two Rivers Head Start Agency food pantry in Aurora Friday morning were diverse in all ways except one; none expected to be where they find themselves today, needing assistance to feed their family.
Luke, 44, whose wife teaches, lost his job three months ago. Ola, 45, relocated to Illinois to escape an abusive environment. Jack, 47, is recovering from an accident that cost him a portion of two fingers. Rose, 32, says her income as a dental assistant falls short of covering her monthly bills.
Their stories remind us that we may all be just one emergency, one crisis, or one bit of bad luck away from not having the resources we need to survive and thrive.
The Need for Food
Katie Rife, the parent, family, and community engagement coordinator for Two Rivers, saw parents struggle to find pantries with healthy food options. Working parents are often unable to get to pantries before they close or arrive after work to find limited food options left.
“Many people felt they weren’t being the kind of parents they wanted to be,” Katie says. “They look at what other families have and want that for their family, too.”
Providing a food pantry linked to the school allows parents to drop off children and pick up groceries on the same trip. They schedule a “shopping cart time,” which allows them to choose the foods they like at a time that fits their schedule.
Each week, the Two Rivers food pantry in Kane County serves 150 families. Orlando Vazquez, food pantry coordinator, makes two orders monthly with the Northern Illinois Food Bank. He also secures weekly donations from local retail stores. The pantry staff are appreciative of the support from these retailers but acknowledge that some of the foods may range in quality.
New Partnership Adds Meat, Dairy, and Fresh Vegetables to Pantry
The pantry recently expanded its offerings through a new partnership with Rooted For Good and the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program. Operated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Human Services and Illinois Extension, LFPA provides states with funding to purchase locally sourced food from Illinois producers and distribute it at no cost to underserved communities. In Illinois, it operates as IL-EATS.
DeKalb County’s Rooted for Good connected Katie with IL-EATS. Now, the families they serve can add mushrooms, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet corn, red and green peppers, eggs, sour cream, and yogurt produced by farmers in Illinois to their dinner table.
Two Rivers Executive Director Kelly Neidel understands the challenges. “We are seeing more people at the pantry due to the rise in grocery prices,” Kelly says. “If they could, they would buy their food instead of seeking assistance.”
The families expressed appreciation for the newly available high-quality, nutritious food.
“There are a lot of people in need who either don’t have jobs or have low-paying jobs,” says Rose, a 32-year-old dental assistant. Using the food pantry allows her to buy school supplies for her children and manage home and emergency expenses.
“I worry; I think every parent does, even people with careers,” Rose says. “It’s a tough time, and even more for single parents. This program is saving lives.”
Between the Kane and DeKalb locations, Two Rivers Head Start serves 176 working families, 16 families with parents in school, and 190 families with parents working and attending school.
“I’m hearing from our families who are receiving the new products,” Katie says. “There are a lot of tears and hugs. They are so appreciative to be receiving the same quality of food products that other families are able to purchase.”
A Hand Up
There are no handouts here; rather, the team at Two Rivers Head Start Agency lends families a “hand up.”
“Though people may not be there now, we never know when we will be the one needing a hand up,” says Janet Valenzuela, Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) manager. “Our goal is to help families become self-sufficient.”
Children learn better when their entire family is healthy, happy, and productive, so Two Rivers uses a whole-family approach, ensuring families are aware of the multiple services they can receive.
Ola, a program participant, sees a brighter future. She escaped a violent domestic situation with her two children and came to Illinois looking for a better life for her family.
The 45-year-old stayed with relatives as she rebuilt her life. Now, three years later, she has a job as a payroll specialist for a physical therapy company and has her own apartment.
“This program helps me remind my family that there is hope and there is help,” Ola says. “My children have hope because they’ve seen it and lived it. There is always hope.”
Ola’s positive attitude has been adopted by her oldest daughter, who shows compassion to others in need.
“When you’ve had the experience of going through what we’ve gone through, it’s important to nurture your children to become loving people,” Ola says. “It’s gratifying to see that in the future, they can help others like we’ve been helped.”
Two Rivers serves more than 3,000 families in Kane and DeKalb counties through a variety of community programs that assist with food and personal care products, dental assistance, travel expenses, and money management, as well as scholarships. Free products allow families to grow their savings as they walk a path to self-sufficiency.
“Many of our families are in crisis mode; they’ve never been through this before,” Janet says. “They don’t want to have to be here and may be really embarrassed or angry to be asking for help.”
Staff treat every program participant with gentle kindness, compassion, and understanding. Luke, another parent with children in Head Start, says his family never feels judged by staff at Two Rivers.
Luke and his wife, who is a teacher, have a 4-year-old in Head Start and two other children in elementary school. He lost his job three months ago and continues to look for new employment.
“This program absolutely makes a difference,” the 44-year-old says. “It allows me to choose healthier items to feed my family.”
Katie guides each family, bouncing from English to Spanish to help the families get the services they need. Her boundless enthusiasm is contagious.
“I’ve always wanted to be a helper,” she says.
Find more information about Two Rivers Head Start Agency online at trhsa.org, or by emailing familyservices@trhsa.org or calling 800-847-9010.