For Immediate Release
Eastern Illinois Foodbank to Benefit from 2018 Hunger Relief Fund Tax Check-Off
URBANA, Illinois – Illinois residents have the option to make a donation to fight local hunger on their 2018 state income tax returns. By checking the box on Schedule G, the Voluntary Charitable Donations Form, a tax-deductible contribution will be made to the Hunger Relief Fund, a special fund in the State treasury, to purchase food grown and processed in Illinois to be distributed by the eight food banks serving Illinois, including Eastern Illinois Foodbank. Feeding Illinois, the state association of food banks, will collect the funds to purchase nutritious Illinois-sourced food such as fresh produce and protein products.
“As a member of Feeding Illinois, Eastern Illinois Foodbank will receive fruits, vegetables and other products from Illinois farmers and processors,” said Jim Hires, President and CEO of the Foodbank. “This initiative will not only allow us to better serve our 18-county service area, but will allow Illinoisans to reinvest in local agriculture.”
Approximately 1.4 million Illinois citizens struggle with hunger, including more than 100,000 living in eastern Illinois. Eastern Illinois Foodbank serves more than 58,000 people a month through a network of food pantries, agencies and other programs.
The Hunger Relief Fund income tax checkoff was an amendment to the Illinois Income Tax Act and went into effect January 1, 2019.
