Thank you for your interest in donating food to Northern Illinois Food Bank. Last year, Northern Illinois Food Bank provided access to 65.5 million nutritious meals for hungry children, families and seniors in our communities. We can’t do it without your support!
Donations of surplus food greatly benefit the Food Bank’s mission of feeding our hungry neighbors. In fact, donations make up 80 percent of the food Northern Illinois Food Bank distributed. Keeping surplus quality food out of waste streams and landfills benefits the donor, who may realize tax benefits for their generosity, as well as saving on disposal costs, while providing our hungry neighbors with the nutritional benefits of fresh produce, meat, dairy and deli items, shelf-stable and frozen foods.
We also welcome donations of bulk foods, such as cereal, beans, pasta and rice, which we repackage into family-sized bags in our state-of-the art bulk processing room. Personal care, health and beauty, household cleaning, and paper products are also in great need by the Food Bank.
In addition to tax benefits under the Food Provision in the Pension Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-280, Section 1202), all donors are protected by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donor Act of 1996. We appreciate every donation and send every donor a letter, which can be used for tax purposes, acknowledging their generous donation.
Although delivery or drop off a donation helps the Food Bank immensely, we will gladly pick up sizable donations at no charge. If you have a donation you would like to deliver to one of our three Centers, click here for locations and hours of operations.
If you are a food manufacturer, processor, wholesaler, distributor, or food broker interested in donating – or to find out more about our retail donation program – please contact Ian Steele, (630) 443-6910 ext. 140 or donate through MealConnect on your computer or mobile device.
Feeding people. It’s what farmers do, and it’s what we do at Northern Illinois Food Bank, too.
Members of the agricultural community can help our hungry neighbors in many ways, including by donating farm-fresh produce or a portion of their crop proceeds to the Food Bank.
We are raising awareness about the ways farmers can work with the Food Bank to solve hunger. Listen for our radio spot featuring agricultural broadcaster Max Armstrong, and look for our posters at local agribusinesses that provide information about how farmers can help, or download a poster to display at your business.
Fresh produce is often costly and difficult to obtain, but is vital to our efforts of increasing access to nutritious foods for hungry neighbors.
Monetary donations are always welcome and are needed to purchase food not received through donations, and to help with the operational expenses of delivering food to partner feeding programs that span a 7,000 square mile area.
Northern Illinois Food Bank is able to turn every $1 donated into $8 worth of groceries. If you are a farmer or agribusiness who is interested in getting involved, contact Ian Steele, or 630-443-6910 ext. 140.
