Since March of 2024, 15 organizations have brought farm fresh, local foods to underserved communities across Illinois through the IL-EATS program. Funded by the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance initiative, IL-EATS has allowed organizations like Eastern Illinois Foodbank to meet the needs of their neighbors while supporting historically marginalized farmers in the state. 

While funding must go towards purchasing Illinois-grown produce, meats, grains, dairy, and more, awarded organizations can buy and distribute products in a way that makes the most sense for their communities. 

Supporting Local Producers

As one of the 15 awardees, Eastern Illinois Foodbank uses IL-EATS to buy chicken, beef, and pork from farmers and delivers it to 73 towns, from Woodford to Clay County, using its Foodmobile. 

“I thought it would be really cool if farmers in Piatt County or DeWitt County could serve neighbors in those counties.” 

Bailey Parks-Moore, the organization’s Partner Relations Coordinator, decided to buy products from farmers living in the same communities the Foodbank serves, “I thought it would be really cool if farmers in Piatt County or DeWitt County could serve neighbors in those counties.”  When deciding which food items they wanted to buy, they surveyed their food pantries. “9 times out of 10, they asked for protein”. 

Bailey began her search by meeting producers through online searches, existing relationships, or word of mouth.  “I have taken great pride in finding ‘salt of the Earth’ people looking to grow their operations.” 

“The price we get has been phenomenal and helped us scale up our farm.”

Bringing Local Meat to Illinois Communities

Eastern Illinois Foodbank is now buying frozen ground beef, pork, and chicken from 11 farmers at prices that allow them to build their business. “We’ve pretty much doubled our hog inventory,” says Bryce Leigh, co-owner of WonderPork, a multi-generational farm outside of East Lynn, Illinois, he’s operated since 2022 with his father, Chris Leigh, and older brother, Cody Moore. “The price we get has been phenomenal and helped us scale up our farm.”

With the income from selling their ground pork through IL-EATS, the family has invested in improvements to their cold storage and is planning to build new hog buildings. When reflecting on the program's impact on his family’s farm, Bryce’s father, Chris, added, “We love it (IL-EATS) and hope it can keep on going for a long time.

Through IL-EATS, Illinois farmers are nourishing their neighbors and supporting local meat processors. Producers working with Eastern Illinois Foodbank bring their livestock to processors in Chenoa, Eureka, or Trenton, Illinois. Since most of these processors are in Eastern’s service area, they pick up the finished products directly as another stop on their food pantry delivery route. “It takes a lot of stress off the farmer,” notes Bailey.

Back at their warehouse in Urbana, Illinois, the chicken, beef, and pork are brought to their cooler, and the farmers are paid. The packaged meat is bundled by volunteers and added to boxes with produce and dry goods such as crackers or cereal. Boxes are loaded onto the Foodmobile and given to neighbors in 13 counties.