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Northern Illinois Food BankOverview
Northern Illinois Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a member of Feeding America, they serve 13 counties in suburban and rural Northern Illinois by providing 250,000 meals a day.[1] They bring together manufacturers, local and corporate grocers, area farmers, corporations, foundations, and individuals who donate food and funding, and each week nearly 1,000 volunteers help them evaluate, repack, and distribute food.[1] They also partner with more than 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and youth and senior feeding programs to provide nutritious food and resources.[1] Their four distribution centers are located in Geneva, Lake Forest, Rockford and Joliet. HistoryIn 1983, Sister Rosemarie Burian founded the food bank out of DuPage County, Illinois. It was named the Bethlehem Center, now known as Northern Illinois Food Bank.[2] In its first month, Bethlehem Center distributed 7,000 pounds of food.[2] By 1985, the center serviced over 100 food pantries in DuPage, Will, Kane, and McHenry counties in Northern Illinois. In 1992, Northern Illinois Food Bank became a certified affiliate of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network.[3] In October 2001, they opened their second distribution center in Park City.[3] The third distribution center was opened in Rockford in 2005.[3] By 2008, they were distributing 22 million pounds of food.[4] In 2011, they had more than 600 partners organizations placing orders and 36 million pounds of food were distributed.[5] Their fourth distribution center opened in 2018, in Joliet.[6] Julie Yurko was named President and CEO of Northern Illinois Food Bank in 2014.[7] NetworkDonations come from food corporations and from grocery stores who give slightly damaged and unsellable goods.[4] In 2007, they started working with Sam's Club and in that year alone they donated 1 million pounds of food.[4] In 2009, Walmart donated 40 refrigerated trucks and Northern Illinois Food Bank managed to get one of them.[4] In 2010, Highland Park Hospital donated $10,000.[8] Jewel-Osco has donated food to the Northern Illinois Food Bank since the late 1980s.[9] In 2017, Jewel-Osco's Bensenville location donated 38,000 cans of garbanzo beans to the food bank which helped provide an estimated 35,000 meals to those in need. In the same year they donated 14 million pounds of food,[9] and in 2018, Jewel-Osco partnered with Hormel Foods and donated 33,122 jars of peanut butter, enough to make 500,000 sandwiches.[10] In 2016, Tyson Foods donated 108,049 pounds of protein to the food bank.[11] Donations not only come from food corporations, other organizations donate money as well, such as the MetLife Foundation that gave the food bank a $25,000 grant in 2011, enough to provide 150,000 meals.[12] In 2017, the food bank partnered with employees at Partners Warehouse and Elwood Fire Department to provide 260 boxes of food to 2,000 people right before the American holiday season.[13] Distribution CentersNorthern Illinois Food Bank has four distribution centers. They are located in Geneva, Lake Forest, Rockford, and Joliet. The West Suburban Center (Geneva) is the largest with 147,000 square feet and provides more than 80 million meals a year in 13 counties throughout suburban and rural Northern Illinois.[14][3] The North Suburban Center (Lake Forest) distribution center has 9,600 square feet of space.[3] The Northwest Center (Rockford) distribution center has 30,000 square feet of space and is home to the Food Bank's Neighborhood Market Food Pantry.[15] The South Suburban Office (Joliet) distribution center serves Will, Kankakee, Kendall, and Grundy counties.[14][3] The Joliet location has 18,000 square feet of space rented from Harvest Bible Chapel and includes refrigerators and freezers to store cold foods.[14] ProgramsMeals On the MoveDuring the summer, Northern Illinois Food Bank operates a mobile program called Meals on the Move. The Meals on the Move truck travels to six different locations throughout Aurora to serve free meals to children 18 years and young. The program is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education in partnership with the USDA Summer Food Service Program.[16] The program partners with the Aurora Public Library bookmobile and Fox Valley Park District Neighborhood Art Program to provide activities for the children.[17] Holiday Meal BoxThe Holiday Meal Box program is a yearly program conducted by the Food Bank, which began in 2019. Sponsors of the 2024 Holiday Meal Box program include Jewel-Osco, Nicor, Prinova, Tate & Lyle, Kubota, Winland Foods, and individual donors.[18] Summer Meal ProgramThe Summer Meal Program provides breakfast, lunch and snacks at over 130 locations to children 18 and under and runs from June to mid-August. In 2017, the Summer Meal Program served 245,000 meals at parks, churches, schools, and other sites.[19] Events and FundraisingNorthern Illinois Food Bank holds four signature fundraisers annually: A Cup of Hope, a luncheon and auction held in March; the Fight Hunger 5K and Fun Run in April; A Taste That Matters in June, featuring a silent auction and culinary creation from over 30 local chefs; and the Hunger Scramble golf outing in August.[20] RecognitionsCharity Navigator rated Northern Illinois Food Bank four out of four stars and gave it an overall score of 99%. The star rating is a reflection of the overall score. The overall score indicates how efficiently a charity will use their support, how well it has sustained its programs and services over time, and their level of commitment to accountability and transparency."[21][22] In 2017, USDA gave Northern Illinois Food Bank's Summer Meal Program a silver 'Turnip the Beet' award for their participation in the program.[23] In 2024, Northern Illinois Food Bank received the Feeding America Network Celebrations Award for its online ordering program, OrderAhead.[24] See alsoReferences
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