As our teams prepare for holiday celebrations and year-end gatherings, there’s a stark contrast we can’t ignore. While our companies plan festive meals, an estimated 18 million American households are experiencing food insecurity – a crisis that becomes especially painful during the holiday season.
For many, this time of year represents peak production, critical infrastructure maintenance, and increased waste streams from holiday consumption.
But for Illinois households experiencing food insecurity, it brings impossible choices between heating bills and holiday meals, between winter clothes and groceries.
The good news is this season of giving presents an opportunity for industry leaders to transform temporary charity into sustainable change.
When “Joy to the World” Meets Empty Pantries
The holidays amplify food insecurity in heartbreaking ways.
In the Chicago metropolitan area, 23% of households with children do not have consistent access to enough food.
This isn’t a Dickensian tale from centuries past, it’s happening in the communities where your facilities and businesses operate, it’s affecting the families of your workers and contractors.
The Ghost of Christmas Present: Today’s Hunger Reality
While many of us worry about holiday weight gain and food waste from office parties, consider that nearly 2 million Illinoisans were using SNAP benefits in 2024. Yet, these benefits often run out before month’s end, especially in December when heating costs spike and children are home from school, missing free lunch programs.
Food insecurity doesn’t discriminate. According to one pantry director, demographics have shifted from 90% seniors to include more younger people and migrants.
The Sterling Choice and Bigger Table: Bringing the Holiday Spirit to Life
The Sterling Choice is proud to support Bigger Table, a Chicago nonprofit embodying the true spirit of the season through year-round action. Since 2020, Bigger Table has donated over 2 million servings of healthy foods made from donated ingredients, manufacturing time, know-how, and packaging.
The Multiplier Effect of Holiday Giving
This holiday season, Americans will generate 25% more waste than usual, 85% of the surplus food will end up in landfills or incinerators, and less than 1% will be donated.
ALDI donated more than 44.2 million pounds of food in 2024 – imagine if every food manufacturer made similar commitments?
It’s not just the hungry that will benefit from donations. More than 75% of consumers trust purpose-driven brands more, so your holiday actions could resonate beyond the holiday season.
A Personal Appeal This Christmas
As a parent myself, I cannot shake the image of children in our own communities going to bed hungry on Christmas Eve.
This year, as your facilities wind down for the holidays and employees gather for celebrations, consider the profound impact you could make. Every production line that runs an extra batch for donation, every pound of food diverted from landfills to food banks – these are the gifts that truly embody the Christmas spirit.
May your holidays be filled with the joy that comes from knowing you’ve made room at the table for everyone in your community.
