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Food & Groceries
- Illinois Department of Human Services
- Feeding America
- Salvation Army
- School Districts – Free Meals provided to students
- Find Food IL Community Food Map (School & Summer locator)
- Check your school district’s webpage, Facebook account, or Twitter feed
- Find Food IL Community Food Map (food pantry, school meal, & resource locator)
Regional Resources
- Illinois: Findhelp.org
- Chicago: Chicago’s Foodbank, Common Pantry, Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Springfield: Central Illinois Foodbank, Grace Lutheran Food Pantry, and Holy Family Food Pantry.
- Peoria: Peoria Area Food Bank, WestMark Food Pantry,
- Champaign: Eastern Illinois Foodbank (Lists all food security services & hours)
- Rockford: Winnebago Community Market (WCM) Rock River Valley Pantry, Carpenter’s Place, Cornucopia Pantry, & Rockford Rescue Mission.
Additional Food & Groceries Resources for Seniors
- Meals on Wheels
- Great Chicago Food Depository
- Northern Illinois Food Bank (Senior grocery delivery)
Family Resources
Diapers & Feminine hygiene products
- Loving Bottoms Diaper Bank provides diapers and female hygiene products in 11 Illinois Counties). For additional information, see Loving Bottom’s listing of resources by county.
- Fulton County
- Hancock County
- Henderson County
- Henry County
- Knox County
- Mercer County
- Peoria County
- Stark County
- Tazewell County
- Warren County
Formula
- Find Help: Provides an online listing of social services by
- WIC Recipient: You may contact your local WIC clinic to help find the items you need. Visit IDHS to find a WIC clinic near you.
- Non-WIC Recipient: Contact the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) at 1-800-843-6154 for assistance.
Eligibility
Free Lunch Eligibility
Children can be eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches in a few ways. Children categorically qualify if they participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or are enrolled in federally-funded or state-funded comparable head start.
Additionally, if a child has a status of homeless, migrant, runaway, or foster child, they are eligible for free meals.
Finally, children can qualify based on household income and family size. Children qualify for free lunch if their family’s income is at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. Children qualify for reduced-price meals when their family's income is 130-185% of the federal poverty level.
For more information, see our Getting school fee waivers and free lunch page and USDA’s Food and Nutrition page.
SNAP Requirements
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, helps low-income people buy food. Eligibility is based on household size and gross monthly income. See How Much money can I make and still get SNAP benefits? For additional SNAP eligibility information.
WIC Eligibility
Women, Infants, and Children is a federal food assistance program. It is separate from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. WIC helps pregnant women, new mothers, and young children eat well and stay healthy. The program provides supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education. See WIC’s PreScreening tool to see if you qualify. In Illinois, for more details, call (800) 323-4769.
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