BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — As the Cooperative Extension service across America is poised to celebrate a birthday on May 8th – a day which marks the 111 anniversary of the passing of the Smith-Lever act which established the Extension network – Illinois Extension in Grundy, Kankakee, and Will counties is sharing stories of impact in the community.
Making an impact on food access and education in local communities.
Research shows a strong link between food insecurity, poor physical and mental health, and even poor academic outcomes for children. Food insecurity is not just about hunger. It also indicates a decrease in access to food that is culturally relevant and nutritionally robust. Food insecurity affects every community in Illinois. Illinois Extension connects youth, volunteers, and partners, working together to address the needs of communities most impacted by food insecurity through research, community service, and advocacy.
The Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education provides community-based education centered around nutrition for individuals and families eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Eat. Move. Save. — Illinois’ iteration — is delivered by Illinois Extension and University of Illinois Health’s Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion.
The SNAP-Ed program is unique because it empowers participants with the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices, prevent obesity and chronic diseases, and secure a healthier future. Many participants then share this knowledge with other members of their household and the community, further extending the impact.
Local impact in Grundy, Kankakee, and Will Counties
In 2024, Illinois Extension in Grundy, Kankakee, and Will Counties saw a program attendance of 4,366 in SNAP-Ed programs. Four community workers and one educator conducted 311 nutrition classes using the Eat. Move. Save. framework, which gives actionable education to encourage the public to make healthier choices in eating, movement, and smart shopping tips for free in the community.
The work is helping. Not only is the work making a difference in the lives of participants, but systemic changes are being made at the organization level: In 2024, twenty-three policy, system, and/or environment changes were adopted by SNAP-Ed partner organizations.
Eating healthy and living active lifestyles help move the needle in long-term health. More than half of Illinois adults have a known chronic health condition, with many facing inequities that make improving their health more challenging. People of all ages need trusted and reliable research-based information to make health decisions that enhance their quality of life.
Illinois Extension, through SNAP-Ed, also helps people locate food. The Find Food IL food map is a project that helps families and residents find the food they need. By entering a zip code, residents will be shown areas in their community offering free food or meals, summer meal sites, retailers accepting SNAP/LINK or WIC coupons, and more.
A return on investment of between $5.36 and $9.54
Over fiscal years 2020–2022, IL SNAP-Ed partnered with an independent third party to conduct an assessment to determine the impacts of the program. Full details can be accessed online, which highlights the immense success of the program. Illinois SNAP-Ed returned between $5.36 and $9.54 per dollar spent.
A return-on-investment analysis estimated the economic benefits of the IL SNAP-Ed program per dollar spent. A model was constructed using program data and prior literature to estimate the number of obesity and food insecurity cases prevented by IL SNAP-Ed. Altarum’s Value of Health model was then used to estimate the total value of future health and economic improvements from the prevented cases.
Along with its growing list of community partners, Illinois Extension delivers creative and sustainable solutions to ensure that support is available when and where people need it.
Local, first. That's Extension.
Illinois Extension’s staff has been embedded across the state’s 102 counties for more than 100 years, translating university research, delivering over 28,000 annual educational programs with over 800,000 program attendees, and offering training and services that positively impact the lives of adults and youths.
To learn more about local impact in Grundy, Kankakee, and Will Counites, read Illinois Extension's local impact report. To give directly to Extension and impact local programs, give online.
Read more & support Extension's work in your local community
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.