People gathered over the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends to count their blessings. While the holiday feast is plentiful for many, some people fear a lack of food access leaves them with little to celebrate. The U-S-D-A announced in late November that food providers in predominantly rural, remote and underserved communities in Illinois and nationwide will receive an additional 500 million dollars to purchase fruits, vegetables and nuts to stock their pantries. U-S-D-A Undersecretary Jennifer Moffitt says the state will receive millions.

The 500 million dollars is in addition to 1-point-5 billion in funding since 2022 for emergency food providers nationwide. Moffitt said the funding is about connecting farmers and food with the Emergency Food Network to bring that product to local communities. This will enable farmers to sell their products at a good price to food banks and pantries, grocery stores and restaurants.

According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, around 12 percent of Illinois households faced food insecurity between 2021 and 2023. The Northern Illinois Food Bank echoes the status of food pantries around the country. The need is growing but supplies are not keeping up with the demand. Director of Media Relations Katie Herity says the organization is serving a record number of neighbors, so the U-S-D-A grant will help significantly.

Herity claims that after the pandemic, the number of donations slowed but the number of neighbors reaching out for help increased - serving double the pre-pandemic level. She says volunteers are crucial to the food bank's daily operations in helping food distribution.