Illinois 4-H has surpassed more than 100,000 packaged meals for the hungry in 11 months through the 4-H Feeding and Growing Our Communities program.

The latest push came July 15 when more than 200 volunteers helped the Quad Cities 4-H Teen Hunger Ambassadors prepare more than 40,000 meals. The meals will be distributed locally by the River Bend Foodbank.

"One in five children in Illinois face hunger," said Bill Million, U of I Extension 4-H youth development specialist. The goal of 4-H Feeding and Growing is to create food-secure communities, through community gardens, food collections, meal preparation, and meal packaging. 4-H works with Illini Fighting Hunger on packaging events.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Judy Mae Bingman, University of Illinois Extension Marketing and Communications Manager

Judy uses powerful words and photography to tell the Extension story. She is a skilled communication strategist and storyteller with demonstrated success in building teams and creating strong organizational brand identities that deepen Extension’s impact among key audiences, build brand loyalty, strengthen employee talent, and expand public engagement. She is a frequent conference presenter at the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Conference and helps Extension staff across the nation tell compelling stories.