Lyall Township volunteers urge DuPage County to fund expanded hours and smaller grants for local food pantries

Two Lyall Township volunteers urged the DuPage County Finance Committee on March 10 to make county grant money accessible to small food pantries so they can expand hours and meet local needs.

Jerry Galloway, a Lyall Township trustee and pantry volunteer, described the pantry's operations: open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m., five commercial freezers and five refrigerators, a refrigerated box truck for pickups and reliance on grocery donations from more than 10 retailers. He urged expanding hours (evenings and Saturdays) to better serve working families, and said grant dollars that could pay for additional staff would be "a big help" in making that possible.

Sue Howell, another Lyall Township trustee, said the pantry serves more than 200 families per week and that the township's prior 501(c)(3) funding source abruptly shut down; a locally formed foundation now helps cover costs. Howell referenced a previously discussed county proposal for a $6.8 million program and said $2 million of that was intended to help small-to-medium pantries but required a minimum $500,000 grant that many small pantries could not use. "We suggest that you consider grants of 50 to 100,000," Howell told the committee, arguing smaller awards would better allow pantries to hire staff, add evening hours, or purchase a second refrigerated truck.

Committee members thanked the volunteers and noted the county's broader proposals are still under discussion; members and staff said they were aware of the infrastructure gaps small pantries face and that program design conversations would continue.