Volunteer With Hunger Resource Network

Meet Bella Parekh...

Bella has been volunteering at HRN since May 2025. Having studied food insecurity in college, as well as seeing it firsthand as a student in the Chicago Public School system, Bella knew she wanted to spend her summer helping an organization that combats hunger.  A quick Google search led her to the HRN website, and she instantly wanted to contribute.

Bella’s time at HRN has been spent working on the upcoming Golf Outing. She has been creating videos and social media posts to spread the word about the event. She has also enjoyed helping the Students Helping Students team prepare for their upcoming donation drive. One of Bella’s favorite moments was filming the latest “Chicken” video for the Golf Outing. (Bella scripted, directed, filmed and edited the video for HRN’s social media platforms.)

“HRN’s operations successfully uplift underrepresented communities and promote long-term social change,” said Bella. “This is what really made me want to join the team!”

“Bella has become a valued member of the HRN team this summer! She is an extremely talented young woman.” said Kerry Smith, Development Director. “We are going to miss her terribly when she returns to her junior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studies Community and Organizational Development as well as Political Science.”

Meet Dennis Dunphy...

I have been with HRN for six months.  I chose HRN because hunger in America is critical and it is my way of giving back to the community at large.  The most important fact for people to know about HRN is that this is a local charity without national ties.  All proceeds stay in the Chicago area.

My favorite activity is fundraising and talking to the local community about donations.  Kerry asked me to find and set up purchases for a commercial refrigerator and commercial freezer.  When I started this project, I knew nothing but now I am an expert in commercial refrigeration!  The project has been completed and sent to the food pantries that requested them! It has been my greatest accomplishment thus far!

I worked over 30 years selling national advertising and have recently retired. I have worked for many broadcast outlets including NBC and Telemundo. I also opened the Chicago office for Sony Pictures Televison and launched Seinfeld into syndication across televisions stations throughout the country. 

I’ve been married to Wendy for 39 years.  We have three children and three grandchildren.

"It is a privilege to work with Dan and Kerry at HRN. It serves as inspiration for all that we can make a difference .

Meet Extraordinary HRN Volunteer Meghan Rosenfeld!

Meghan (pronounced Ma-geen) has been volunteering for HRN since October 2023. Meghan taught for 34 years at Middleton Elementary School in Skokie and puts her love of organizing to work for HRN. She truly enjoys the variety of activities that she gets to undertake as a volunteer. “The fact that I do many jobs makes it fun and keeps me learning,” says Meghan. “I have learned so much about researching companies and foundations in order to write letters of intent (LOIs) for grant applications and donations. I’ve enjoyed the thrill of trying to obtain donations for raffle baskets and silent auction items. It’s exciting to get donations and build packages that help HRN generate more money for its good work. Being a volunteer at HRN is dynamic and ever-changing which I appreciate.”

Meghan, who also volunteers at the Deerfield Free Store, has always been passionate about people having enough food. Years ago she volunteered at the Northfield Township Food Pantry, where she observed the unnecessary disparity in our country between being food secure and being food insecure. “When I learned that there was an organization that was focused on directly interrupting food insecurity, I knew I wanted to be involved. The fact that it is founded and based in Northbrook made it even easier to volunteer. I was also intrigued by a non-profit that took a different approach to fighting hunger,” adds Meghan. 

Meghan lives in Northbrook with her husband, Rick, a travel consultant at his company, Journey Softly. Meghan and Rick love to travel together all over the world, recently visiting Iceland, Portugal and Cuba. Their daughter, Erin, lives in Brooklyn. Meghan also enjoys going to the theatre and watching sporting events, as well as reading and gardening.