Food Access Council talks navigating food security without Ruby’s Pantry

“We’re still reeling,” is how Beth Kennedy described the group of volunteers who have organized and facilitated Ruby’s Pantry for nearly a dozen years.

Kennedy is part of the Food Access Council, which is made up of Cook County residents and representatives from organizations focused on food security. The group meets monthly, and the April 1 regular meeting happened to fall just one day after an announcement from Ruby’s Pantry that the multi-state food distribution service would be ending.

Kennedy, her daughter Kelsey Rogers Kennedy, and Anne Hegg have all been part of the local Ruby’s Pantry facilitation and spoke at the Food Access Council meeting. They reported that they have not received additional communication from the regional Rudy’s Pantry leadership with more details on the decision to end the service.

Kennedy speculated that the decision could have been the result of recent changes to the trucking contract that was used for delivering to remote communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, coupled with the increased cost of diesel. She also shared that in conversations with regional Ruby’s Pantry leaders as recently as earlier this week, she was told that the organization was not planning to cut the Cook County delivery.

The sudden announcement of Ruby’s Pantry’s end has left many in the community wondering what will happen next for those who have come to rely on the regular deliveries. After talking about the goals that Ruby’s Pantry was founded on, to feed people, decrease food waste, and build community, Hegg said, “I don’t know what we’re going to do to fill that void.”

No official decisions were made at the Food Access Council meeting, but the members of the group discussed what potential solutions could be, both in the short term for those who were counting on the April Ruby’s Pantry distribution, and as a longer-term way to fill the gap left behind by the program ending.

Food Access Council board member Liv Thompson expressed her concern that some of the greatest impact of the loss of Ruby’s Pantry will be felt by households who may not qualify for other food assistance programs with income requirements, but who still struggle to meet their food needs with the high cost of groceries.

Rogers Kennedy said she would share through the Cook County Ruby’s Pantry Facebook page the food resources list that was compiled in the fall as uncertainty around Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding left those in need looking for other sources of aid. Public Health and Human Services Director Grace Grinager also shared with the group that the department was finalizing an official resource list through the county.

Grinager added that she hopes to have a response to share on behalf of the county and the Food Access Council soon.

Kirsten Wisniewski April 2, 2026