Northern Illinois Food Bank receives $9K from The Mill Foundation

The Mill Foundation, dedicated to the welfare of youth in the Rockford community, names Northern Illinois Food Bank as the recipient of a $9,000 grant to help solve hunger. Funding from The Mill Foundation will help support the Food Bank’s BackPack Program, which provides access to nutritious food for children experiencing food insecurity in Winnebago County, including children in Rockford, who are at risk of hunger on the weekends. The funds were presented at an event on June 25 at 10 AM, at the Blackhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts of America, 2820 McFarland Rd., Rockford, IL.

Northern Illinois Food Bank is serving more neighbors in Winnebago County month over month due to inflation, the rising cost of food and the ending of pandemic-era government benefits. One in seven Winnebago County residents experience food insecurity, including one in five children (Map the Meal Gap, Feeding America, May 2024). Last year in Winnebago County, the Food Bank distributed 8.2 million meals and we are currently serving served over 62,000 neighbors a month.

“Solving hunger is a community wide effort and we can't do it alone. We are grateful for The Mill Foundation’s generous grant and partnership,” said Randi Chambers, Development Officer at Northern Illinois Food Bank.

The BackPack Program provides food to supplement weekend meals for a child and their siblings. Children are identified by school staff, who recognize signs of chronic hunger or are aware of families in need, and distribute backpacks to students on Fridays. The program is entirely dependent upon funding from private donations.

For more information, visit SolveHungerToday.org.