Kendall County Food Pantry Receiving Funds Through State's 'Missing Money' Program

YORKVILLE, IL — This December, local food pantries, including one in Yorkville, 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.

The Kendall County Community Food Pantry will receive $69.87 through the program. It's one of 86 food pantries to which Frerichs is returning money.

Beyond providing food to those in need, the Yorkville pantry also runs a pet food pantry and a clothing closet.

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 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.