The PM Podcast

Episode: Friendly, Fabulous Foodbankers: A Conversation with Julie Yurko

Host: Jay Frost
Guest: Julie Yurko, President & CEO of Northern Illinois Food Bank
Date: November 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The PM Podcast spotlights Julie Yurko, a nonprofit leader whose personal experience and bold, community-centered approach have steered the Northern Illinois Food Bank through crises and everyday hunger. Host Jay Frost explores Julie's journey from music student to food bank CEO, her lived experience with financial insecurity, and her tireless advocacy for dignity and equity in food access. With warmth and candor, Julie reveals how her faith, family legacy of service, and innovative thinking are changing the charitable food system—one neighbor at a time.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The SNAP Benefits Crisis & Food Bank Response

([02:09]–[06:05])

• When federal SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits were suspended due to a government shutdown, it caused an unprecedented hunger crisis.
  • "We learned in late October that the USDA announced that it was not going to take advantage of emergency funding they have and distribute SNAP benefits in November. SNAP's been around for over 60 years. This has never happened before." (Julie, [02:37])
• The loss of SNAP meant $350 million less each month for 445,000 people in Julie’s Illinois service area.
  • "For our state alone, it’s $350 million that’s being taken out of people’s bank accounts ... not being put into the economy." (Julie, [03:14])
• The Food Bank swiftly mobilized, ordering "61 semi truckloads of food" to cover a 26% increase in demand.
  • "When you think of a hunger crisis, this is it." (Julie, [05:51])

Bringing Hunger Down to One Family's Reality

([06:05]–[08:07])

• Julie shares Tina’s story—a mom working two jobs with a disabled husband—who must use grocery money to pay bills, risking greater debt.
  • "She’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. And it’s heartbreaking because she’s not doing anything wrong..." (Julie, [07:10])

Julie’s Personal Connection to Food Insecurity

([08:54]–[11:10])

• Julie recounted her own time as a stay-at-home mom who faced sudden job loss and near-poverty:
  • "All of a sudden we had no income ... I hadn’t really experienced fear like that before."
  • "That's what really motivates me today in this work." (Julie, [09:08], [10:53])

Path from Music to Nonprofit Leadership

([11:22]–[14:21])

• Julie's start: cello performance, then music business, then fundraising, starting as an intern and development associate.
  • "I say I’m a professional beggar." (Julie, [12:31])

Family & Faith Roots in Service

([14:43]–[18:11])

• A generational commitment: Julie’s family, including her father and son, regularly volunteer at the food bank.
  • "That was just part of our family culture." (Julie, [15:13])
• Strong Christian roots shape her approach to neighborliness and hope.

Rethinking the Food System—Neighbor-Centric Transformation

([18:57]–[24:18])

• Julie advocates for a "with not to" approach—redesigning the system based on recipients’ lived experience.
  • "Often systems like a food bank system are created around the person who has help to give, not the person who's receiving it." (Julie, [19:43])
• Example: Creating an online food pantry, modeled after grocery pickup, based on direct feedback.
  • "We actually compensate neighbors for sharing their stories with us because they’re the experts." (Julie, [19:22])
  • The online pantry allows users to choose groceries and get delivery via DoorDash (800 orders a week).

Crisis Lessons—COVID to Shutdown

([24:18]–[25:30])

• Julie draws parallels between COVID and the recent SNAP shutdown: sudden demand spikes, need for rapid innovation, and staff resilience.
  • "These food bankers, they are resilient, they're brilliant, they're caring. Nothing stops them." (Julie, [25:07])

Building Trust & Centering Lived Experience

([25:30]–[29:18])

• Over a third of staff and 42% of the board have direct experience with food insecurity.
• Trust-building with clients: Engaging a Neighbor Council, paying them as experts, and continuously honing communications.
  • "We have taken the time to build trust and to honor them..." (Julie, [28:48])

Adapting Communication & Addressing Stigma

([31:07]–[34:31])

• Continual adjustment—addressing myths about food safety and documentation, and matching communication to changing community fears (such as among immigrants).
  • "People think, well, am I the last stop before the dumpster? No." (Julie, [32:15])
  • "We have seen a need to increase information about what you can expect, particularly with … any immigrant population." (Julie, [33:08])

Open to All, Regardless of Status

([34:31]–[35:51])

• The food bank’s open-door policy: “We serve everyone who comes to us looking for help ... regardless of any constraints that might be put on us from the government.” (Julie, [35:13])

Leadership Lessons & Personal Stamina

([36:13]–[39:32])

• The most difficult challenges:
  • Professional: Building a culture to engage and retain staff, volunteers, and donors.
  • Personal: Maintaining stamina when it feels like hunger isn't abating.
  • “It is about feeding people today and giving them hope for tomorrow. And if we have full bellies every night, then we’re winning. Maybe we have to fill them up every day, but we always do.” (Julie, [38:35])

Sustaining Hope

([39:32]–[41:16])

• Julie’s optimism is rooted in her faith and gratitude for community generosity.
  • "That even if they need help tomorrow, that doesn’t mean the system is failing. It actually means the system is working because we'll still be here and they can get what they need." (Julie, [39:49])
  • "I lean into my faith and my belief in the universe." (Julie, [40:55])

Integrating Fundraising and Leadership

([41:16]–[45:32])

• Julie sees fundraising not as a chore but as an extension of stewardship and trust, relationships, and hospitality—guided by lessons from partners like Chick-fil-A.
  • "This business runs on the goodness of others … not so much how are we acquiring people in, but how are we stewarding them." (Julie, [43:00], [43:45])

The Vision Ahead

([45:58]–[47:47])

• Organizational dream: Become a true “trusted source” for full wraparound services, so one call connects a neighbor to all the resources they need.
  • "I’d love to build really strong partnerships ... so that if I’m a person in need, I’m not having to make four phone calls. I can make one and get the help I need." (Julie, [46:19])
• Personal dream: Deep contentment in her current work; lightheartedly wishes to one day be a Walmart greeter and bring joy to retail.
  • "I'm just happy as a pig in slop. ... As long as they'll have me, I'll be here. Because I just love this work." (Julie, [47:14])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lived Experience Shaping Service:
  • "Having had lived experience, to make sure that we are honoring and working together with the person that we're serving." (Julie, [19:02])
• On Building Trust:
  • "We have taken the time to build trust and to honor them in that. And unlike a nonprofit board, they are compensated because they are experts." (Julie, [28:48])
• On Hope and Mission:
  • "That even if they need help tomorrow, that doesn't mean the system is failing. It actually means the system is working because we'll still be here and they can get what they need." (Julie, [39:49])
• On Her Legacy:
  • "I'm just happy as a pig and slop ... The privilege of serving, like, it all works for me." (Julie, [47:14])
• Final Call to Action:
  • "The number one reason someone will come to the charitable food sector is because someone they trust has recommended they do it. So be an ambassador and help folks get what they need today." (Julie, [50:12])

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Julie on optimism, mission, and system success | | 02:09 | Impact of SNAP suspension & food bank’s emergency response | | 06:27 | Tina’s story—personalizing the numbers | | 08:54 | Julie’s own brush with insecurity and entry to food banking | | 12:03 | Transition from music to fundraising career | | 15:13 | Multi-generational volunteering in Julie’s family | | 18:57 | Listening to neighbors; designing truly neighbor-centered aid | | 23:26 | Launching the online food pantry; tech/retail parallels | | 25:30 | Lessons learned from COVID and prior crises | | 27:47 | Building trust with clients and volunteer experts | | 31:07 | Adapting to communication gaps and immigrant community fears | | 35:03 | Serving everyone, regardless of documentation or status | | 36:13 | Leadership challenges—people, culture, and stamina | | 39:49 | Redefining hope—system "working" when needs persist | | 46:19 | Vision for integrated, one-stop help access | | 47:14 | Julie’s happiness in her role; Walmart-greeter dream | | 50:12 | Call to action: support your local food bank & be an ambassador |

Takeaways for Listeners

• Crises like government shutdowns can create huge new barriers for families and food banks alike.
• Effective service demands centering the voices and lived experiences of those in need.
• Trust, dignity, and seamless access are the pillars of innovative, neighbor-centered hunger relief.
• Hope, faith, and community generosity sustain leaders and systems facing relentless need.
• Every listener is encouraged not just to give, but to actively recommend food bank networks to those in need—often the single biggest catalyst for a neighbor to seek help.

For more about the Northern Illinois Food Bank, visit solvehungertoday.org.

To find your local food bank, visit feedingamerica.org.