Mather and Top Box Foods Join Forces to Bring Fresh Food to More Than 15,000 Chicago Households in Need

Mather, the Not-for-Profit Focused on Ways to Age WellSM, to Provide $5.6 Million in Food Assistance in 2025-26

EVANSTON, Ill., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mather announced today it has joined forces with Top Box Foods to deliver baskets filled with nutrition-packed fresh produce, protein and recipes – so 15,446 Chicago households with adults ages 55 and better can create nutritious meals this holiday season and beyond.

More older adults are suddenly at risk of losing access to quality food in part due to the pause in SNAP benefits. With this in mind, Mather worked quickly with Top Box Foods to expand what was to be Mather's pilot program initially providing 1,000 households with holiday meal baskets to the current program enrollment of more than 15,000 households. Each basket provides six to eight food servings for older adults in need along with recipes and simple cooking tips created by Mather's culinary team.

The tremendous response has prompted Mather, the not-for-profit focused on Ways to Age WellSM, to expand its plans in 2026 to 10,000 baskets monthly. Mather's total commitment for food baskets will be $5.6 million over the next 14 months. Mather team members will also support the increased demand during this holiday season by volunteering alongside Top Box Foods to prepare and package the baskets for delivery.

"At Mather, we are working to create an equitable Chicagoland where older adults can find wellness resources and thrive," said Mather CEO and President Mary Leary. "This investment aligns with one of our values – to rise to the moment with purpose. It goes beyond delivering sustenance. It also makes a meaningful difference in the overall health, well-being and dignity of older adults."

It's estimated nearly one in five Chicagoans are already food insecure – a problem that requires sustained focus and community collaboration. According to Feeding America, food-insecure older adults have significantly higher rates of physical and mental health issues than food-secure peers.

"We appreciate support from community-minded organizations like Mather," said Connor Deloach, executive director at Top Box Foods. "We particularly appreciate our shared commitment to providing fresh produce and proteins, which aligns to our everyday work improving and promoting nutrition for all."

Anyone can help Top Box Foods meet the ongoing need for Chicago households to have nutritious food by contributing to the organization's new emergency relief grocery program. To learn more, visit topboxfoods.com.  

About Mather

Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a unique, non-denominational not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 by humanitarian Alonzo Mather. Dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging, Mather creates Ways to Age WellSM through programs, places and residences for today's older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment, sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and conducting research on living and aging well through its innovation incubator, Mather Institute. Mather's award-winning senior living residences include Mather Place (Wilmette, Illinois), Splendido (Tucson, Arizona), The Mather (Evanston, Illinois) and The Mather (Tysons, Virginia). Mather and its communities have received recognition from US News & World Report, Newsweek, Global Wellness Institute and many others. To learn more, find your way to mather.com.  

About Top Box

Top Box Foods is a nonprofit that collaborates with community organizations to improve health outcomes by curating, customizing and delivering food boxes that get healthy food in the hands of families and individuals in need. Top Box Foods increases access to local foods through a sustainable food system and also supports innovative "food as medicine" initiatives.

SOURCE Mather