EIF Facts

• Eastern Illinois Foodbank serves a 21-county area in Eastern Illinois covering just over 16,300 square miles.
• At any given time, more than 143,000 people in eastern Illinois face food insecurity.
• Pantries in our network are currently serving twice as many people than in 2022.
• Since 2019, child food insecurity in eastern Illinois has risen by nearly 40%. At least 1 in 6 children in our community currently experience hunger.
• The Foodbank does not directly serve clients. We provide food to agencies like food pantries, soup kitchens, snack programs, and shelters who serve our neighbors.
• In the past year, the Eastern Illinois Foodbank provided 9.7 million meals—including 2.1 million pounds of produce—to more than 160 agencies and programs feeding our neighbors facing hunger. 
• Through our network of pantries alone, EIF distributed food to more than 1.6 million people last year.
• Last year EIF provided more than 665,000 meals in rural and underserved areas on our Foodmobile.
• Through partners like Feeding Our Kids and Food 4 Kids, last year more than 89,000 backpacks of food were distributed to schoolchildren to combat weekend hunger.
• More than 67,000 students and their families were provided food through our School Market program last year. 
• Our fleet of trucks traveled more than 181,200 miles last year, delivering food and picking up donated product.
• Every donation to Eastern Illinois Foodbank can have a huge impact! Each $1 donated provides three meals to a neighbor experiencing food insecurity.
• The Foodbank is an affiliate member of Feeding America; with its national network of food banks numbering over 200, Feeding America is the largest domestic hunger relief organization.
• Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are not a time of great need for food relief agencies. In fact, summertime is generally a time of highest demand, because children are out of school and there are increased financial pressures on parents.