DuPage County taxpayers are funding services for illegal immigrants and expanding a regional “welfare network,” according to Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, following the county board’s approval of a $4.8 million spending package.
The DuPage County Board unanimously approved the funding March 24, allocating fiscal year 2025 surplus taxpayer dollars to three nonprofit organizations providing food assistance and related services.
“DuPage taxpayers are getting crushed, yet so called ‘Republican’ leaders are time and time again handing over millions of our hard-earned tax dollars to liberal NGOs that serve illegal aliens, push DEI agendas and expand a regional welfare network,” McCloy told the DuPage Policy Journal.
McCloy argued the package goes beyond addressing food insecurity within DuPage County and instead expands a multi-county system that does not prioritize DuPage residents and diverts funds that could otherwise be returned to taxpayers through direct relief.
The largest share of the funding—$2.5 million—was awarded to Loaves & Fishes Community Services to expand its Aurora Food Distribution Hub in neighboring Kane County.
“Supporting open-border welfare and big-government handouts that send our money outside DuPage and benefit non-citizens is a betrayal of the people who elected you,” she said.
Loaves & Fishes CEO Mike Havala told the Chicago Tribune that the expansion is driven by the 64% cost of living increase from 2019 to present in DuPage County, affecting between 90,000 and 100,000 residents.
Havala said many families fall into what he described as a “SNAP gap,” where the cost of living exceeds what federal food assistance programs cover. He said a DuPage County family needs about $91,000 to break even, while eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts off at roughly $43,000.
The City of Aurora lists the organization as a resource available regardless of immigration status, though the group does not publicly track the immigration status of those it serves.
Beyond food services, it offers classes for non-English speakers, bilingual staffing, SNAP and Medicaid enrollment assistance, rent and utility aid, job training and legal referrals, according to the official website.
McCloy said this range of services reflects broader support systems funded with taxpayer dollars.
An additional $2 million over two years was allocated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, which operates across 13 counties. McCloy argued this structure means DuPage funds are supporting a regional network rather than remaining strictly local.
The remaining $322,000 was awarded to The Conservation Foundation for its “Farm to Pantry” program, including the purchase of a refrigerated truck and construction of a greenhouse at its Naperville organic farm.
The foundation produces what it describes as “culturally relevant” crops and operates across multiple counties, partnering with community organizations that provide education, legal aid and public benefit navigation, according to the organization’s website.
McCloy said the funding package reflects a broader pattern of government expansion supported by both parties and warned that such programs become difficult to scale back once established.
“That surplus should have been returned to taxpayers through rebate checks, giving families real relief and the freedom to support causes of their choosing with their own money, not uni-party big government-directed spending,” she said.
Pre-meeting reporting quoted Republican board member Sam Tornatore describing the Loaves & Fishes expansion as a “good return on investment.”
On the Finance Committee, Republicans Grant Eckhoff, Kari Galassi and Cindy Cronin Cahill advanced the proposal. Republican members also ultimately supported the package at both the committee and full board levels.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Republican board member Brian Krajewski raised concerns about how the funding is distributed across counties, saying, “We see DuPage doing a lion’s share, and basically the other three counties doing nothing.”
As of now, no Republican board member has issued a formal objection or called for taxpayer reimbursement.
DuPage County is among the wealthiest counties in Illinois, with a median household income of more than $110,000, according to U.S. Census data.
Someone needs to follow the money on this ! Somewhere Someone or more are skimming off the top of this !!! I guarantee it !