Pantry Details Hours Photos Information: Northern Illinois Food Bank
Northern Illinois Food Bank is a non-profit organization that engages the community in a commitment to feed our hungry neighbors. Across 13 counties, food manufacturers, local groceries, corporations, foundations, and individuals come together to donate food and funds, and evaluate and repack food for distribution to our more than 600 network partners – the food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and youth and senior feeding programs that serve more than 60,000 different people each week. The food bank has centers in Geneva , Lake County and Loves Park and has an office in Joliet. Northern Illinois Food Bank serves the following counties: Boone, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago. Our vision is for no one to be hungry in northern Illinois. Our mission is to lead the northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships.For more information, please call. Mission Statement Northern Illinois Food Bank’s mission is to provide nutritious food and resources for our neighbors, with dignity, equity and convenience, through partnerships and innovation.
County or Counties Served: Will
Northern Illinois Food Bank Pop
JJC is proud to team with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to offer a place for students and community members to drive through to receive groceries. Anyone in need of food assistance during this uncertain time is welcome to attend. No identification or proof of address or income is required to receive food.
The pop-up markets take place on the following Saturdays in Parking Lot E3 on JJC’s Main Campus, 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet.
Dates:
JJC Police will be directing traffic during this time to guide you through the market. Visitors arriving for the market should enter through the college’s main entrance off Houbolt Rd.
While JJC Campus Police will be onsite directing traffic, it is recommended that:
- Employees and other visitors seeking to conduct college business enter through Centennial Drive.
- Visitors arriving for the market enter through the main entrance off of Houbolt Rd.
In the event of inclement weather a Pop-Up Market may be cancelled. It will be decided by 3 p.m. the day prior to the distribution.
What We Aim To Solve
Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Strategic Plan: UNITE plan builds on the success of our 2020 plan, incorporates the experiences of human-centered design, and acknowledges that food insecurity disproportionately impacts some neighbors because of systemic inequities including the challenges of racism that have been highlighted prominently in recent civil unrest. Our overall goal is to reach 90% of food insecure neighbors within our 13 counties by 2025. To accomplish this, we will invest in empowering our neighbors, engaging our network, enhancing the food supply, evolving the Food Bank, all while embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.
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Northern Illinois Food Bank Intends To Use 18000
JOLIET, IL – The Northern Illinois Food Bank will be moving into the old Cub Foods building on South Larkin Avenue. On Monday, the food bank announced it has signed a lease to occupy 18,000-square-feet within the facility. According to its press release, Northern Illinois Food Bank plans to open the South Suburban Center inside the building owned by Harvest Bible Church.
The opening of a facility in Joliet marks the fourth food distribution center for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Its other locations are in Rockford, Park City and Geneva. The old Cub Foods property will serve residents of Will, Grundy, Kendall and Kankakee counties, Northern Illinois Food Bank indicated.
“Our South Suburban Center will help us better address the issue of hunger in some of our high-need counties – areas that were difficult to reach from our existing locations,” Northern Illinois Food Bank CEO Julie Yurko said in a press statement. “With this center, we’ll be able to better support our local agency partners with fresh produce, dairy items and other nutritious foods, as well as get these items to those in need more efficiently.”
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With the increased food distribution and volunteer capacity at the South Suburban Center, the Food Bank will be able to provide an additional 1,000,000+ meals to residents in Will, Grundy, Kankakee and Kendall. Currently, the Food Bank serves the equivalent of more than 14 million meals in these areas to nearly 80,000 food insecure residents, about half of which are children.
The Joliet facility will be the fourth distribution center operated by Northern Illinois Food Bank, which currently manages three distribution centers: Northwest Center , North Suburban Center , and West Suburban Center .
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About Northern Illinois Food Bank
Researched & Written by Alexis Reale on the FlexJobs Team
Northern Illinois Food Bank serves over 71,000 people throughout 13 Illinois counties, including the Chicago suburbs. The nonprofit organization engages community members and businesses in its mission to solve hunger in the region. Northern Illinois Food Bank collaborates with a network of more than 800 partners, including food pantries, youth and senior centers, shelters, and soup kitchens, to distribute food for people in need.
Northern Illinois Food Bank collects food donations from manufacturers and retailers through its Direct Connect and Food Recovery programs. Through its partner distribution or direct services such as the Mobile Pantry trucks, the organization delivers food to the public in Back Pack Programs, senior housing units, Holiday Meal Boxes, and after school programs. Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, and has achieved the highest rating from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit evaluator.
Northern Illinois Food Bank
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Northern Illinois Food Bank is a 501 non-profit organization that focuses on providing food to those in need in northern Illinois. Partnerships and donors allow for more than 71,000 people to be fed each week through different programs. Northern Illinois Food Bank operates in 13 counties surrounding Chicago. The organization has four distribution centers located in Geneva, Rockford, Park City, and Joliet, which distribute food to pantries who then allocate the food to people.
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Inflation Taking Toll On Food Banks As More Chicagoland Families Face Hunger
1 out of every 4 families with children in Chicago area faces food insecurity
Inflation is taking a toll on food banks like the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Greater Chicago Food Depository as more families face hunger.
CHICAGO — First, the coronavirus pandemic, and now inflation has some local families struggling to buy necessities like food.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my many years of doing this work,” said Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Together, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Northern Illinois Food Bank have been supplying food to agencies across the area for more than 40 years. But, soaring food prices are stretching the organizations’ budgets thin.
“What that means for the food bank, we’re having to do more and that means more food and that also translates to us having to buy more food,” said Julie Yurko, president and CEO of the Northern Illinois Food Bank. “We’re having to buy more food because donated food is down.”
The Northern Illinois Food Bank says it’s seeing a 40% increase in need, while the demand at the Greater Chicago Food Depository has jumped about 30%.
“When you all of sudden have to pay $25 a week more for your groceries, that’s often a thing that will push a family into needing to go to a food pantry,” said Maehr.
The need is especially challenging for families around the holidays.
New South Suburban Center Will Help Bring A Million More Meals A Year To Kendall Grundy Will And Kankakee Residents
With the goal of addressing hunger in high-need counties, Northern Illinois Food Bank has signed a lease on an 18,000 square foot facility on South Larkin Avenue in Joliet, which will serve 175 local programs and provide increased access to perishable foods and improved efficiencies in food distribution.
The South Suburban Center will be housed in a former Cub Foods location owned by Harvest Bible Church. The property features dock access, existing refrigeration and freezer walls and convenient access to I-55 and I-80. The space will be configured to provide volunteer workspace and offices for Food Bank staff.
Our South Suburban Center will help us better address the issue of hunger in some of our high-need counties areas that were difficult to reach from our existing locations, said Julie Yurko, CEO of Northern Illinois Food Bank. With this center, well be able to better support our local agency partners with fresh produce, dairy items and other nutritious foods, as well as get these items to those in need more efficiently. Well be in a better position to solve hunger and serve our hungry neighbors every day.
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The South Suburban Center Of The Northern Illinois Food Bank Opens Friday
JOLIET, IL – The Northern Illinois Food Bank has announced that the highly anticipated South Suburban Center will open its doors this Friday, May 4. The grand-opening gala will include remarks from Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, U.S. Congressman Bill Foster, Will County Executive Larry Walsh, Food Bank President, CEO Julie Yurko and Food Bank Chairman Geneace Williams. Friday’s event will include an open house and warehouse tours. The new South Suburban Center in Joliet will be at 171 South Larkin Ave., one of the old Cub Food stores.
An official ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Friday. A community-oriented open house is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All events are open to the public.
Joliet marks the fourth regional distribution center for Northern Illinois Food Bank. This building is intended to serve people in the south suburbs of Will, Grundy, Kankakee and Kendall Counties.
User Questions And Answers
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Who We Are
Northern Illinois Food Bank a proud member of Feeding America is the source of nutritious food, innovative feeding programs, and hope for more than 71,500 people each week. As a 501 nonprofit organization with a goal of solving hunger in our 13-county service area, we rely on our generous donors, volunteers, and community partners the local food pantries and feeding programs, food manufacturers and retailers, companies, foundations and individuals who join with us in our vision for no one to be hungry in Northern Illinois.
We invite you to join us through volunteering at one of our four centers , becoming a financial or food donor, and helping us spread the word about hunger in our community on and .
What We Do

Our Mission: Leading the Northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships. Northern Illinois Food Bank is the source of nutritious food, innovative feeding programs, and hope for 71,500 people each week. As a nonprofit organization with a goal of solving hunger in our 13-county service area, we rely on community partners the local food pantries and feeding programs, food manufacturers and retailers, companies, foundations and individuals who join with us in our vision for no one to be hungry in northern Illinois. We invite you to join us, through volunteering at one of our four centers , becoming a financial or food donor, helping us spread the word about hunger in our community, and participating in our Facebook and Twitter conversations. Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of Feeding America.
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