Resources

Food Assistance

If you are in need of emergency or supplemental food, please visit Feeding Illinois.

Illinois Hunger Coalition Hotline 1-800-359-2163

Learn about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. (Download English or Spanish version.)

For information about how to apply for SNAP, please visit the Illinois Department of Human Services website.

To find out how to bring a Summer Feeding Site to your community, please visit the Illinois State Board of Education website.

Summer Meals Programming Support

Whether you’re a school, community center, recreational camp, or faith-based organization, we know that planning and operating a summer meals program can be tough. Check out the below resources designed to support summer strategizing, marketing and outreach, and meal service program implementation with and without COVID-19 flexibilities.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Seamless Summer and Other Options for Schools (Here)

USDA Food and Nutrition Service: Summer Food Service Program Fact Sheets (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: Summer Meals 101 – Back to Basics & USDA Update Webinar and Slide Deck (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: Leveraging COVID Relief Funds to Mitigate the Impact of Nutrition Waiver Expirations (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: Promote Summer Meals – Template Summer Meals Facebook and Twitter Posts (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: 2022 Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: Comparison of Usual Summer Meal Program Provisions vs. Expired Flexibilities Permitted in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Here)

No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices: Key Differences and Similarities in the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program and the Summer Food Service Program (Here)

Illinois State Board of Education: Comparison of Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and School Nutrition Programs (SNP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) for the 2021-2022 School Year (Here)

School Nutrition Association: SNA Supply Chain Resources (Here)

A Hub for Summer Meals

August 1, 2019Tucked away in the Germano Millgate Apartment complex, the Center of Higher Development serves as a resource hub for the community. The Center offers summer camp, is an open Summer Meals site, runs an After-school program in the fall, and opens its computer lab to adults in the surrounding area. Director of the Center, Donna […]

Come for Food, Stay for Fun

June 17, 2019The parking lot of Ridge Lawn School served as the backdrop for the Chicago Ridge Public Library’s (CRPL) first of seven Summer Meals kick-off events. Kids eager to shake off the end of the day were attracted by Taylor Swift lyrics coming from the library’s tent. Kid’s that came by could sign up for a […]

Summer Meal Program Grants

March 7, 2019Rise & Shine Illinois in partnership with No Kid Hungry has grants available up to $5,000 to help organizations expand access to and participation in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported Summer Meal programs with the goal of increasing the number of kids receiving summer meals. The application deadline is March 31.