Eastern Illinois Foodbank

Eastern Illinois Foodbank Alleviating hunger. Nourishing stronger communities. Eastern Illinois Foodbank exists to alleviate hunger in eastern Illinois.

Each year, we distribute millions of pounds of food across our network of nearly 170 programs such a food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. Together, we’re working to create a hunger-free eastern Illinois. We fight hunger in communities throughout these 18 eastern Illinois counties:

Champaign
Clark
Clay
Coles
Crawford
Cumberland
DeWitt
Douglas
Edgar
Ford
Iroquois
Jasper
Livingston
McLean
Moultrie
Piatt
Vermilion
Woodford

📢 Tomorrow is Hunger Action Day! Join us in wearing orange and start a conversation with someone to help spread awarenes...
09/28/2026

📢 Tomorrow is Hunger Action Day!

Join us in wearing orange and start a conversation with someone to help spread awareness about local hunger, share Foodbank resources on your social media, or take action by joining us between 9 AM - 12 PM for open volunteer hours.

Learn more about joining the mission at eifoodbank.org 🧡

Last week, EIF invited some of donors to our first Community Table event: Harvest of Hope! 🍂 Guests toured the Foodbank,...
09/28/2026

Last week, EIF invited some of donors to our first Community Table event: Harvest of Hope! 🍂 Guests toured the Foodbank, and heard an insightful conversation about the intersection of agriculture and food insecurity featuring EIF's own Bailey Parks-Moore, Lauren Brokish of Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, Martinelli's Market Bakery & Deli, and Central Illinois Bakehouse, and Ed Dubrick of DuChick Ranch, LLC. We're grateful to Ed and Lauren for donating their time to engage with our donors and discuss their roles within our local food systems—and we're even more grateful for their continued dedication to alleviating hunger! 🧡

🚛 The Foodmobile will be distributing food in the following counties this week, made possible with support from Compeer ...
09/27/2026

🚛 The Foodmobile will be distributing food in the following counties this week, made possible with support from Compeer Financial:
❤️ McLean County on Monday, September 28
❤️ Mason County on Friday, October 2
For a list of stops and for more information, visit https://www.eifoodbank.org/help/mobile.html.

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Eastern Illinois University Campus Food Pantry, Charleston 🧡Leyana (p...
09/25/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Eastern Illinois University Campus Food Pantry, Charleston 🧡

Leyana (pictured) is currently pursuing her Master’s, and has been helping at the pantry since her freshman year of her Bachelor’s degree. "My favorite part of the pantry is the community," she told us. "Student-based pantries are very communal, and they’re a chance to embrace another part of campus. Being here is living proof that although there’s a stigma, the pantry is needed. For me, it means I don’t have to put that worry in my head, because I grew up needing food banks in different states."

She appreciates the role the pantry plays in overall student wellbeing, and wants students to stop by to visit—even for a snack. “We allocate some of our resources to the library, and provide library snacks," Leyana said. "We let people come in and grab a drink without swiping just to say hello, and so they know we’re here!”

Pantry Director Crystal Brown was one of the people who began the campus pantry at EIU in October 2021. “It’s been my baby since the beginning, so I’m passionate about it!" she said. "I love to do what we can for our students, to help them be successful. I tell students ‘If you have $50, I don’t want you sitting in class distracted wondering if you should pay a bill or get food. Go pay that bill, get food from us for the week, and then you can be focused on the academics."

Crystal and her team are thrilled that recent expansions and partnerships with local retailers have empowered them to provide a wider range of groceries to students. “I love that we’ve expanded over these five years. We started with just the shelf-stable items, and now we shop every week at Aldi to provide milk, eggs, produce, and hygiene items.”

Those options make a big difference to students like pantry employee Jonasiah (also pictured). “Groceries are getting way more expensive! Let’s say I want to make breakfast on the weekend; instead of going to Walmart and spending $3 on eggs, I can use eggs I got here.”

Jonasiah wants students to check out the pantry, and says they shouldn’t feel any shame. “Food insecurity is very common, and no one is alone in it.”

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Wesley Food Pantry, Champaign-Urbana 🧡While most school markets serve...
09/24/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Wesley Food Pantry, Champaign-Urbana 🧡

While most school markets serve the students and their families, our friends at Wesley Food Pantry see a wide range of our neighbors visit to shop—neighbors like Diana.

Diana has some medical conditions that can make finding the food she needs challenging. “I like the fact that I can get specialized food, like low-salt and low-sugar food,” she told us during a recent visit to Wesley location on the UIUC campus. With current grocery prices, she says it’s difficult to get all the nutritious groceries she needs—especially protein. “Seeing the price of ground beef made me convert to ground turkey!”

She receives a small amount of Social Security benefits each month, and visiting the pantry helps her stretch her limited budget. “I tried just going to the grocery store and getting the same things, but I had to skimp on the other things. I get more kinds of food when I visit the pantry, and I like the variety." Diana’s favorite find of this pantry trip was a bag of fresh bell peppers. “I can put these in a stir fry or eat them raw!”

"There are things I find here that I’ve looked at in the store, but didn’t think I could afford.” Because trying something new from the store means she’d be spending her limited funds and risk not enjoying it, Diana told us that she appreciates that she’s able to try new foods the pantry lets her try new foods. She also looks forward to visiting the pantry because it's "a very friendly place!"

Wesley alleviates food insecurity in our community one family at a time by providing them with one week's worth of nutritious groceries, and they operate two pantries on local campuses: one at UIUC, and one at Parkland College. They were the first pantry in the area to establish evening hours to accommodate work schedules, and also participate in United Way of Champaign County's Project DASH, which utilizes DoorDash drivers to deliver groceries and household items to our neighbors. Learn more about Wesley's mission at https://wesleypantry.org/about.html.

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Heartland Community College Food Pantry, Normal 🧡“In the Student Coun...
09/23/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Heartland Community College Food Pantry, Normal 🧡

“In the Student Counseling & Wellness office, we focus on both mental health and physical needs being met," said Heartland pantry director Elena Cotter. "You can’t thrive in the classroom if you’re not meeting your basic needs. We can help with housing, with interpersonal needs, with food insecurity, so that they can excel in the classroom.”

Mia (pictured) works in the Student Engagement office at Heartland, and shops at the pantry. “Visiting the pantry saves a lot of money for me and my family,” Mia told us. “My favorite part of coming here isn’t the food—it’s everything else. We even have clothes for people to borrow if they need them for an interview.”

The pantry volunteers know that students have different schedules and levels of comfort seeking assistance, so they make sure to stock the a kiosk of food in the hallway before leaving each evening. This resource is available for students to use anonymously at any time—and particularly helps student-athletes. “This makes it a lot easier for them to grab what they need and head home, instead of going through the hassle of ‘The bus doesn’t go here, how do I get there? Am I going to need to pay for this transportation to get here?’”

“A couple of years ago, there was only one man on the soccer team who had a car," Elena told us. "He would take turns bussing every single one of his teammates to another local pantry because they had fridges, and we didn’t at the time. Now that we have the fridges and we’re able to get meat, eggs, and dairy products, it lightens their load. As a college student, you’ve got a lot going on at once. The last thing you need is to have to figure out how to get food.”

“If you’re nervous to come for the first time, don’t be!" Elena said. "We make it a pretty easy intake process, so they don’t need to sit there and fill out income requirements or prove their address with multiple forms of identification.”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Mia said of any stigma around visiting a pantry. “You have to do what’s best for you, and not worry about what anyone else thinks about you.”

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Danville Area Community College Food Pantry 🧡DACC Foundation's Gina D...
09/22/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Danville Area Community College Food Pantry 🧡

DACC Foundation's Gina Davis has been a part of the college's pantry for years, and says "I just love helping the students! Growing up in a single-parent family, I remember going to food pantries, so it means a lot to be able to help the students who really need it. We've even had some students that come back after graduation and give back to the food pantry."

The pantry staff knows that stigma around food insecurity is still real, and will do anything they can to accommodate students and make them feel comfortable. "We've had some students who used to feel shame," Gina said. "They can always give us a call ahead of time if they'd like to talk, or we can shut the pantry door while they shop."

In addition to serving college students, DACC's pantry serves faculty and local high school students who are participating in the Middle College program. "They would normally have lunch at their school, but they're here, so we try to always keep snacks like granola bars for them. A lot of the community has donated funds so we can go shopping for those items. We try to make sure there's something in the pantry for every student!"

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: School Street Food Pantry, Normal 🧡For the School Street team, creati...
09/21/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: School Street Food Pantry, Normal 🧡

For the School Street team, creating a welcoming environment for students is a top priority. “This is a joyful place—the students are so appreciative and they support each other, so it’s really a community," said pantry board President Diane Zosky. “This pantry can be the difference in these students being successful. If we don’t invest in our students who come here and take out student loans, and they don’t persist with a college degree, then we not only have not served them, we’ve done them harm. We know that we’re fueling their futures, and what more could you ask for?”

Many volunteers are students who also receive food from the pantry, like Aemun, an international student who's been volunteering at School Street since 2024. "The pantry improves my success as a student, and connects me to the right resources for the most fundamental need of a student: food," he told us. "I volunteer here because I identify with their values: compassion, empathy, and giving. We need to help people in a compassionate way, in a way that makes them feel a sense of belonging. This food pantry does a good job of that, and that’s why I make time to come here.”

Crimson is a grad student paying for everything out of her own pocket, and the money she's able to save on food goes straight to her tuition and bills. “I’m getting mostly frozen items at the grocery store, and everything else comes from the pantry," she said. "I can’t really afford to get healthier options, unfortunately—though I’d like to. Coming here takes that little bit of extra stress out of my financial situation, it gives me a little less to worry about. If you think visiting the pantry would make your life even 10% easier, you should do it. Don’t be afraid to seek help when you need it!”

Aemun added “There’s no shame in seeking support. We are at a point where not being able to afford your basic needs is becoming universal for a lot of students, and there’s more awareness of that need. There are amazing people that come through here; once you see some people you see on campus, you realize ‘I’m not alone!’”

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Lake Land College Laker Food Pantry, Mattoon 🧡Natasha has been volunt...
09/20/2026

🎓 HUNGER ACTION MONTH COLLEGIATE MARKET SPOTLIGHT: Lake Land College Laker Food Pantry, Mattoon 🧡

Natasha has been volunteering at the Laker Food Pantry for approximately one year, and also shops there. By getting some groceries from the pantry, her budget is freed up to buy more nutritious groceries at the store. “I’m able to spend my money on frozen food, like beef or chicken. It lessens my budget for my groceries to utilize the food pantry.”

Her favorite item from the pantry is canned chili beans, and she also loves pantry options like noodles and rice. “These foods are easy for students to make. We also have deodorant [and other hygiene items], so I tell my friends they can come here if they need it.”

In addition to receiving food from the pantry, Natasha loves volunteering there and knowing she's making a difference for her fellow students. “I like helping out students, knowing they can come here any time they want to. I also enjoy helping people pick which food to get; some people haven’t tried some of these foods, so you can always help them out.”

Natasha encourages any student who may be considering visiting the pantry to try it out. “Come through and check out the variety we have, and it can help cut their monthly expenses. You can visit the food panty every day if you need it!”

🚛 The Foodmobile will be distributing food in the following counties this week:❤️ Vermilion County on Tuesday, September...
09/20/2026

🚛 The Foodmobile will be distributing food in the following counties this week:
❤️ Vermilion County on Tuesday, September 22 (made possible with support from Ameren Illinois)
❤️ Peoria County on Wednesday, September 23
For a list of stops and for more information, visit https://www.eifoodbank.org/help/mobile.html.

Address

2405 North Shore Drive
Urbana, IL
61802

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 4pm
Tuesday 7am - 4pm
Wednesday 7am - 4pm
Thursday 7am - 4pm
Friday 7am - 12pm

Telephone

+12173283663

Website

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