Your Resource for Fighting Hunger in Illinois

Why Addressing Hunger Is Important If hunger exists, then our food system of growing, sharing, and consuming food is not equal for everyone.

Why Addressing Hunger Is Important Hunger sways our learning and school performance Hunger decreases our productivity by influencing our mood and ability to concentrate Hunger also increases health problems and health care costs

Food Is Key to Health Pediatricians Also Help Solve Family & Childhood Hunger Pediatricians ask these two questions: 1.Yes or No: Within the past year, did you worry whether your food would run out before you got money to buy more? 2. Yes or No: Within the past year, was there a time when the food you bought did not last and there was no money to get more food?

Food Insecurity in Illinois, million people in Illinois are food insecure 643,040 children in Illinois, are food insecure 310,664,800 meals is the yearly meal gap in our state of Illinois Additional $787,542,000 are needed to purchase the food that will close the Illinois meal gap

What Is Food Insecurity? Food insecurity measures the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity at different times may reflect the need to make family trade-offs between buying nutritious foods and paying for important basics, such as housing, water, electricity, transportation, or health care.

8 Feeding Illinois food banks 102 counties in Illinois 1,900 community agency partners in the Illinois network

What Illinois Food Banks Do Obtain nutritious food through donations of food & donations of money Distribute the food through food bank network of 1,900 partner agency food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens where people-in-need obtain food

Illinois Food Banks Also Make BIG impact from money donations to buy large amounts of nutritious food Food banks are able to purchase from $5 to $10 worth of food, for every $1 donated to the food bank. That’s a great bargain! Food banks use the money to operate food distribution programs for youth and their families, such as the student BackPack Program, School Pantry, and Food Mobile Pantry programs in rural areas.

Illinois Food Banks Also Raise awareness about food security issues Build partners for efforts to reduce hunger Advocate for state and federal legislation to help make the food system equal for all of us living in Illinois

Food Banks Fighting Child Hunger School Pantry Summer Food Service Program School Breakfast

Food Banks Fighting Child Hunger BackPack Program Kids Café Program Food Mobile Pantry

Hunger in Your County Go to Hunger in Illinois and Map the Meal Gap Or to Feeding America Map the Meal Gap /county/2013/child/illinois Use interactive map to select for county and then select for child or overall population

Hunger in Madison County Go to interactive map Feeding America Map the Meal Gap nty/2013/child/illinois Choose for Madison County 36,950 Food Insecure People 13,160 Food Insecure Children $17,021,00 Additional Money Required to Fill the Meal Gap/ Meet Food Needs in Madison

How You Can Help Promote awareness about food insecurity in your community, county, and state Build support to reduce hunger by collaborating with others in the community Volunteer at a food bank or one of the 1,900 network agency partners Raise funds to close the meal gap in Illinois

Leaders Addressing Human and Community Needs Thank you Lewis & Clark for Caring for others Pursuing the common good Living a life of service Contributing your diverse talents Creating our future

Thank you for your leadership Working together we will close the hunger gap in Illinois, and give our youth the support needed for a bright future