Feeding Illinois (formerly the Illinois Food Bank Association) was founded ten years ago to bring together the eight food banks in Illinois in pursuit of a common goal: providing nutritious food to hungry people in Illinois while educating the public about hunger and the vital role that food banks play in addressing hunger. Since its inception in 1999, the organization has developed into a functional collaboration of eight food banks that share resources and leverage their collective power for the benefit of hungry families and individuals in Illinois. Members include the: Greater Chicago Food Depository; Northern Illinois Food Bank; Eastern Illinois Foodbank; Central Illinois Foodbank, Peoria Area Food Bank; River Bend Foodbank; St. Louis Area Foodbank and the Tri-State Foodbank. Outreach and advocacy efforts coordinated through Feeding Illinois help to raise awareness about hunger and build support for programs and policies that can help provide additional food and services to those in need. In 2008 and 2009, Feeding Illinois was successful in getting state funding for the first time to fund the purchase and distribution of food through the food bank network. As a result of those grants, at a time of unprecedented need, Feeding Illinois food banks were able to distribute an additional 2 million pounds of food, of which more than 500,000 pounds were produce, in 2008 and 2.6 million pounds of food, of which 1.2 million pounds were produce. By working together through Feeding Illinois, the food banks were able to improve their buying power and reduce their individual administrative costs as only one grant was administered versus eight. Additionally, Feeding Illinois was added to the state SNAP Outreach Plan for the first time in 2009. Through its network of member agencies food banks are working to help families in crisis access longer-term benefits that provide them access to food.

The mission of Feeding Illinois is to provide nutritious food to hungry people in Illinois while educating the public about hunger and the vital role that food banks play in addressing hunger. Last year, the eight Feeding Illinois food banks distributed 109 million pounds of food to an estimated 1,400,000 people through a network of 2,000 food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens.

There are 200 food banks in the United States that act as the critical link between food industry donors and neighborhood grassroots agencies. Food manufacturers, growers, wholesalers, retailers and other community groups donate fresh, frozen and shelf-stable food to food banks each year. Food staples that are not readily available as donations are purchased from food manufacturers at the lowest possible cost. Food banks distribute these goods to a network of feeding programs ranging from pantries, shelters and soup kitchens to afterschool programs, schools and older adult residences. Feeding Illinois has three primary programs: (1) the acquisition and distribution of high-quality, nutritious food through its statewide network; (2) policy analysis, evaluation and advocacy to ensure that state and federal legislation, rules, programs, and plans are well-aligned with best practices and the needs of emergency food network clients; and (3) education, outreach and advocacy to raise awareness about hunger issues, build support for efforts to reduce hunger, and build a network of private, public, philanthropic and non-profit partners dedicated to working together to end to hunger.