Updated October 5, 2020
The Food Bank is committed to continuing our operations and utilizing our staff, volunteers and agency network to serve our neighbors to the best of our ability every day and especially during this crisis. The Food Bank has been responding to the increased need in our communities since mid-March. Learn about recent updates to our COVID-19 response, challenges, and wins below.
Find a Pantry or Distribution
If you or someone you know needs food, you can find your nearest food pantry or program here. We strongly recommend calling before you go to confirm distribution dates/times. At the bottom of this page is a list of agency closures which will be updated regularly.
For the communities of DeKalb, North Chicago and Rockford, you may order groceries online to pick-up at a specified location and time through My Pantry Express.
Pop-Up Markets
We are constantly adding Pop-Up Market locations throughout our service area. To see if there is one coming to a town near you, visit our Pop-Up Market Calendar and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates about upcoming distributions. A list of upcoming mobile pantry distributions can be found here.
SNAP
Our SNAP Outreach team is available and continues to assist with SNAP (food stamp) applications and can answer questions in regards to other resources or locating a pantry. Fill out our SNAP Contact Form, or call our hotline at 844-600-7627 to talk with a member of our team or leave a message and a team member will call you back ASAP.
Other Resources
We know visiting a pantry or seeking help can be difficult when you don’t know what to expect. Read about the Myths and Facts about the charitable food network.
Food is just one of many challenges our neighbors are facing. With that in mind, we have developed the Northern Illinois COVID-19 Resource Guide. It has listings of county-specific and statewide resources available during this time.
Donate
If you are able to make a financial donation you can help support the Food Bank’s operations during this time of increased need. Every $1 donated helps provide $8 in groceries for our neighbors. Make a gift online now, or mail your gift to 273 Dearborn Court, Geneva, IL, 60134. We also accept gifts of stock or from donor advised funds.
Community Food Donations
After suspending our community food donations we began accepting food donations in October at our four Centers. We have a contactless drop off bins at each facility and donors may choose to take a receipt if they choose. If you are not close to one of the Food Bank Centers (Geneva, Joliet, Park City, Rockford), we encourage you to find your nearest pantry here, and contact them directly to inquire about their food needs.
Volunteer
Northern Illinois Food Bank has continued to accept and rely on volunteers at our Centers and food distributions. The Food Bank has made modifications to our shifts at all of our Centers to ensure we are following the CDC recommendations and practice social distancing.
We have modified the maximum number of volunteers we can accommodate per shift to ensure we can practice social distancing. You may view openings on our calendar or join our wait list, as we anticipate having a greater need for volunteers in the coming weeks and months as we continue our response to this crisis. In the meantime, our agency network needs volunteer support as well. We encourage you to search by zip code and contact the location directly to inquire about available volunteer opportunities.
The Food Bank is committed to continuing our operations and utilizing our staff, volunteers and agency network to serve our neighbors to the best of our ability every day and especially during this crisis. The Food Bank has been responding to the increased need in our communities since mid-March. In June through September, we have provided 9M meals monthly, an increase of 3M per month from last year at this time.
Some key strategies over the past seven months to meet the increased need:
