Our Child Nutrition Programs, including the federal meal programs CACFP and SFSP, provide nutritious meals to kids after school and during the summer, and our BackPack Program gives food-filled backpacks for weekend meals.

After School

Looking for snacks or suppers for youth in your afterschool program?

Last year, an average of over 6,500 kids at 155 different sites daily enjoyed after school snacks or a cold supper through the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Child Nutrition Program. That’s over 699,500 meals served!

How does it work?
Participating sites can receive a cold supper or snack for their youth. The snack typically includes two components while supper is a full meal. The meals are delivered to your site once or twice each week. It’s important to us that your kids have balanced meals so we include whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables when possible. Each meal meets the USDA meal guidelines.

What’s the cost?
Free! CACFP (Child and Adult Care Feeding Program) is an afterschool meal program funded by the USDA and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Northern Illinois Food Bank sponsors the program and gets reimbursed for serving meals to children at approved sites. Participating afterschool programs work closely with Food Bank staff to complete training and documentation.

How do we qualify?
If your site is a public or non-profit group that offers enrichment activities for kids and is in a low-income area, your site may be eligible. Contact us to find out if your program qualifies and for more information on how to start an after school feeding program.

I’m ready for more information!
Contact Jessica Willis, Child Nutrition Program Manager, at 630-443-6910 ext. 144, or by Email.

Summer Food for Kids

Looking for breakfast, lunch, or snacks for youth in your summer program?

Last year, an average of 7,600 kids at 112 different sites daily enjoyed after school snacks or a cold supper through the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Child Nutrition Program. That’s more than 285,600 meals served!

How does it work?
Participating sites can receive a breakfast, lunch, or snack for their youth. The meals are delivered to your site on a daily basis. It’s important to us that your kids have balanced meals so we include whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables when possible. Each meal meets the USDA meal guidelines.

What’s the cost?
Free! SFSP (Summer Food Service Program) is a summer meal program funded by the USDA and administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Northern Illinois Food Bank sponsors the program and gets reimbursed for serving meals to children at approved sites. Participating programs work closely with Food Bank staff to complete training and documentation.

How do we qualify?
If your site is a public or non-profit group and is in a low-income area, your site may be eligible. Contact us to find out if your program qualifies and for more information on how to start a summer feeding program.

I’m ready for more information!
Contact Jessica Willis, Child Nutrition Program Manager, at 630-443-6910 ext. 144, or by Email.

Backpack Program

One in ten children face hunger in our 13-county service area. 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.

How you can help:

  • Sponsor a participating school
  • Provide funding to sustain our year-round program

Meals on the Move

Meals on the Move is a mobile route that provides Summer lunches to kids and teens, 18 and under, in Aurora!

As a part of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the Northern Illinois Food Bank visits different park sites across Aurora to offer free and nutritious boxed meals for youth in convenient locations.

Contact

To speak with a Northern Illinois Food Bank staff member about the Meals on the Move program, please contact:

Jessica Willis, Child Nutrition Manager – email or call (630) 443-6910 ext. 144

 

The Meals on the Move program is generously supported by the Dunham Foundation.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.