Eastern Illinois Foodbank to Host Hunger Awareness Luncheon at Eastern Illinois University
CHARLESTON, Illinois – Eastern Illinois Foodbank (EIF), in partnership with Dean Ryan Hendrickson of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and Pastor Roy Landham of the Newman Catholic Center, is hosting a hunger awareness luncheon at the Newman Center on April 9, 2019. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of local hunger in Coles County, one of the 18 counties EIF currently serves. The timing is critical because summer hunger adds an additional strain to families with children when school is not in session.
EIU professor Dr. Michael Gillespie, who has done research on poverty and hunger in Coles County, will give a presentation as well as EIF President & CEO Jim Hires.
“Hunger is fundamentally a local issue because individuals, families, children, and adults live in and go about their daily life within our community,” Dr. Gillespie said. “Therefore, local food pantries and charities are our first line of defense against food insecurity, and our most important asset in aiding the 39 percent of individuals and 44 percent of families with children in Coles County who are at risk of waking up tomorrow without enough food to eat.”
Coles County has approximately 8,200 residents living with food insecurity per the most recent Heartland Alliance poverty report. Eastern Illinois Foodbank partners with 13 agencies such as food pantries and soup kitchens to provide food to those struggling with hunger in Coles County.
