Lombard Villa Park Food Pantry Receiving Funds Via State's 'Missing Money' Program

LOMBARD, IL — This December, local food pantries, including one in Lombard, are set to receive funds through the state's "Missing Money" program. In all, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is returning $100,000 in missing money to food pantries throughout the state.

Lombard Villa Park Food Pantry will receive $100 through the program. The pantry is part of Outreach House, whose mission is "to provide compassionate and effective assistance to individuals and families in need with dignity and without judgment."

Each December, Frerichs' office focuses on returning money through the ICash program to nonprofit groups that help people in need. The gesture is especially important this year following the recent federal government shutdown, which stopped food assistance to many Illinois families in last month.

"Food pantries always step up to feed people in need," Frerichs said. "It's been a challenging year with federal cutbacks to food banks earlier in the year. The Trump administration opting to cut off food assistance to our state’s neediest folks last month was a double whammy. We wanted to see if we could help, when our local food pantries put meals on the table for millions of Illinoisans."

The unclaimed property program is one of the state's oldest consumer protection initiatives, according to the treasurer's office. In Illinois, the state treasurer is tasked with safeguarding unclaimed property, such as the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes, unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards.

Illinois holds more than $5 billion in unclaimed property. More than $2.4 billion has been returned since Frerichs took office, the most in state history, according to his department.

Residents wondering if they have unclaimed property can check the online database at icash.illinoistreasurer.gov. The state treasurer is legally required to return unclaimed property to its owners or heirs, no matter how long it takes.