Beyond Hunger
Harnessing the power of communities to end hunger
Beyond Hunger
EIN: 27-2018997
Mission
Harnessing the power of communities to end hunger
Ruling year
2010
Chief Executive Officer
Michele Zurakowski
Main address
848 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL 60301 USA
Formerly known as
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
EIN
27-2018997
Food banks
Population served
Economically disadvantaged people
Low-income people
NTEE code
Food Banks, Food Pantries (K31)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
While the U.S. economy continues to recover from the pandemic, millions of Americans are left behind. Even with earned income/wages, public benefits, and federal food stamp or child nutrition programs, many people still lack the necessary resources to feed their families. This reality is reflected in the food insecurity rate in Chicago, where 1 in 6 families do not have the resources to buy the food their families need. Hunger and health are profoundly interconnected, and together they play a critical role in the life expectancy disparity in Chicago. Systemic racism and decades of disinvestment have caused a 20-year life expectancy gap between individuals who live in affluent zip codes compared to those living in underserved communities. Advanced age and disabilities increase food insecurity and compound health disparities in these communities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Beyond Hunger
We provide hunger-relief programming and services to 13 zip codes across Cook County, including portions of Chicago and its near-west Suburbs. Our service offerings seek to provide the food, resources, knowledge, and skills people need to live healthy, active lives.
For over 40 years Beyond Hunger has created solutions to end hunger at every stage of life through comprehensive programs that now include: providing emergency food to families in need, summer meals for kids who lack them when school is out, connecting individuals to valuable benefits like SNAP (“food stamps”), conducting nutrition education and cooking classes to combat chronic illness, and delivering groceries to homebound older adults. Organization-wide, we focus on health and nutrition, and provide food that nourishes and sustains that families love.
In FY2022 Beyond Hunger served over 42,000 individuals.
Where we work
Awards
Client Choice Award 2011
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Quality Performance Award 2011
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Investing in Illinois Award 2010
AT&T
President's Award 2009
Oak-Leyden Developmental Services, Inc.
Best Fiscal Management Award 2009
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Green Award 2023
Climate Ready Oak Park
Gold Level Recognition 2022
Illinois Nutrition Education Programs
Community Health Equity Partner Award 2021
Rush's Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement
Affiliations & memberships
Good Food Purchasing Program Pledge 2023
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
All individuals served across programs.
Total pounds of food rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Pounds of fresh produce distributed per year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is representative of Facebook Page likes.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Beyond Hunger recognizes that communities know what they need. Together, we create collaborative solutions for hunger and nutrition security that forge a more racially equitable food system.
Beyond Hunger harnesses the power of communities to end hunger. By providing food to people who are hungry, we meet immediate needs, but recognize that social and economic disparities at the root of hunger also drive inequitable health outcomes. Thus, we utilize a health equity lens to address hunger as a social determinant of health, providing access to healthy food and nutrition education while simultaneously offering referrals to supportive services and advocating for stronger food safety-net policy. Hunger is solvable, but no one agency can do it alone, which is why we take a collaborative systems approach to build a more equitable region for all.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our organizational values lead our organizational strategy
Values:
RESPECT
Dignity – we begin and end our day in service of this value, acting with respect for the feelings, wishes, rights, and traditions of our full community. In doing so we’ll build an environment that prioritizes mutual trust, safety, and wellbeing.
EQUITY
We address layered racial, social, and economic inequities to create a more just food system and enhance access to nutritious food for disproportionally affected people.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We persist in evaluating and assessing the impact of our work, adapting when needed to build on core strengths and implement best practices.
COMMUNITY
We seek to build an inclusive, anti-racist community to deepen the impact of our work both within and beyond our organization. We solve hunger in partnership with volunteers, donors, residents, and, importantly, individuals who understand our impact because they personally have been affected by it.
Strategic Pillars:
1. Champion an anti-racist organizational strategy.
2. Deepen and extend the impact of our programs on populations that are disproportionally impacted by food insecurity.
3. Inspire individuals and communities to support our work by connecting shared philanthropic values to sustained impact.
4. Galvanize our community to help end hunger.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We provide hunger-relief programming and services to 13 zip codes across Cook County, including portions of Chicago and its near-west Suburbs. Our service offerings seek to provide the food, resources, knowledge, and skills people need to live healthy, active lives.
For over 40 years Beyond Hunger has created solutions to end hunger at every stage of life through comprehensive programs that now include: providing emergency food to families in need, summer meals for kids who lack them when school is out, connecting individuals to valuable benefits like SNAP (“food stamps”), conducting nutrition education and cooking classes to combat chronic illness, and delivering groceries to homebound older adults. Organization-wide, we focus on health and nutrition, and provide food that nourishes and sustains that families love.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We focus our food security work on health and nutrition, providing food and resources that nourish and sustain. Our programs provide nutritious, culturally familiar food in a way that respects the wishes of our community. Each year we serve over 10,000 unique individuals living in 13 ZIP codes in Chicagoland —over 42,000 with repeat visits—through 5 distribution options: 1) A convenient Drive-Thru Food Pantry; 2) An in-person Community Market where people select their own food; 3) Home delivered groceries for homebound older adults; 4) Summer meals for kids; 5) An off-site pop-up pantry (“Despensa”) that serves newly immigrated families. To ensure long term food security, we help connect people to benefits like SNAP and Medicare. Unique among local agencies, we offer robust nutrition education and cooking classes to help combat chronic illness.
Beyond Hunger solves hunger with dignity as a core value and in collaboration with the community we serve. We meet people on their terms rather than forcing them to come to a one-size-fits-all food pantry. We’ve learned that one size doesn’t fit the needs of all—particularly not the needs of communities of color. Our programs intentionally seek to advance health equity among older adults, newly immigrated Latino and Hispanic families, and populations experiencing overlapping and compounding vulnerabilities of race, age, and disability.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
We serve individuals and families in13 zipcodes on Chicago's West Side and surrounding suburbs.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, other,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We created specialty food boxes based on surveys regarding client preference. We included new health and body products for our Home Delivery program participants based on survey data. Further we were able to respond to survey data regarding the need for more produce for these families and have been able to add a second monthly delivery of fresh produce. We surveyed our Despensa program participants regarding the specific culturally familiar foods they wanted to receive each month. We meet regularly with our Client Advisory Council to review upcoming and new programs to make adjustments before program launch as occurred with our Health Ambassadors program.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Over the years getting feedback from the people we serve has grown to become an integral part of our organizations strategies and solutions to end hunger. We have surveyed for the people we serve for most of our history, but the addition of our Client Advisory Council over the past 3 years has deepened our relationship as an organization with our community, resulting in true collaboration.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
51.74
Months of cash in 2021 info
9.7
Fringe rate in 2021 info
36%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Beyond Hunger
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Beyond Hunger
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Beyond Hunger’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$20,940 | -$36,981 | -$37,667 | $695,625 | $1,233,922 |
| As % of expenses | -1.1% | -1.9% | -1.8% | 30.9% | 38.0% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$36,786 | -$53,124 | -$48,495 | $686,734 | $1,222,650 |
| As % of expenses | -2.0% | -2.7% | -2.3% | 30.4% | 37.5% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,883,295 | $1,841,017 | $2,004,237 | $3,006,870 | $4,402,936 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 4.9% | -2.2% | 8.9% | 50.0% | 46.4% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Government grants | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.4% |
| All other grants and contributions | 98.9% | 99.0% | 96.9% | 99.5% | 97.5% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,830,065 | $1,916,779 | $2,079,418 | $2,248,845 | $3,247,087 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 8.3% | 4.7% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 44.4% |
| Personnel | 26.8% | 24.5% | 28.9% | 28.2% | 24.1% |
| Professional fees | 2.7% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 2.1% |
| Occupancy | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 62.1% | 61.5% | 57.2% | 57.5% | 64.0% |
| All other expenses | 8.3% | 11.4% | 10.8% | 11.7% | 9.7% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,845,911 | $1,932,922 | $2,090,246 | $2,257,736 | $3,258,359 |
| One month of savings | $152,505 | $159,732 | $173,285 | $187,404 | $270,591 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $65,078 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,998,416 | $2,092,654 | $2,263,531 | $2,445,140 | $3,594,028 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 8.4 | 9.7 |
| Months of cash and investments | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 8.4 | 9.7 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 7.6 | 9.6 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $907,121 | $851,251 | $791,063 | $1,568,999 | $2,614,422 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $24,925 | $13,000 | $10,000 | $0 | $26,824 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $117,109 | $118,670 | $118,670 | $118,670 | $183,748 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 44.5% | 57.5% | 66.6% | 74.1% | 54.0% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 2.5% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $862,302 | $809,178 | $760,683 | $1,447,417 | $2,670,067 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $123,595 | $84,814 | $47,300 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $123,595 | $84,814 | $47,300 | $109,700 | $31,627 |
| Total net assets | $985,897 | $893,992 | $807,983 | $1,557,117 | $2,701,694 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Chief Executive Officer
Michele Zurakowski
Michele Zurakowski, Ph.D., has shepherded Beyond Hunger’s transformation over the past two decades from a small food pantry to a multi-faceted anti-hunger service provider reaching beyond the basement where the food pantry is located and into the community where hunger lives. Some of the programs developed under her leadership include Summer Meals for children, Home Delivery for older adults and people with disabilities, Cooking Classes and Nutrition Education, and a Pop-Up food pantry which serves a suburban immigrant population. She has overseen an aggressive food rescue program, recruiting local merchants to donate over 200,000 pounds of perishable groceries and 20,000 meals from cafeterias each year. Michele is an ardent food and nutrition security advocate, working to alter policies and create a more racially equitable food system.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Beyond Hunger
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Beyond Hunger
Board of directorsas of 02/20/2023
Board of directors data
Donna Myers
Principal at Adaptation Capital
Donna Myers
Non profit development,management and governance, presently a community volunteer
Susie Goldschmidt
Vice President, Banc of America Leasing
Cassandra West
Media consultant and freelance business and education writer
Cuyler Brown
Vice President, Huntington National Bank
Thomas Gary
Public Policy Professional
Laura Gutierrez
Administrative Assistant, Porgrams at the Chicago Community Trust
Patricia Hannon
Pediatritian, Erie Behavioral Health
Andrew Maychruk
Chief Technology Officer at Old Second National Bank
Stephanie Schrodt
Volunteer, certified teacher, past HR Manager
Tom Watson
Head of Sales, Hanweck Associates
David Henkes
Food and beverage industry researcher/consultant at Technomic Inc
Tom Irvin
Managing Partner and co-founder Guggenheim Partners
Shawn K. Joseph
Licensed Banker with JPMorgan Chase & Co
Tyrone Thomas
Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Invenergy
Stacey Williams
Community volunteer with a professional background in marketing and strategy
Liz Ziehl
Community Volunteer with over 20 years professional experience in commercial lending, publishing, sales, marketing and purchasing.
Montague Short
Senior Manager, HR Business Partner at CDW
Adriana Riano
Manager, Programs, Feeding America
Shatisha Woods
Principal Business Solution Consultant at Healthcare Service Corporation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/10/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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- Officer and/or Employee data for 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
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