ALBION, Ill. – Local communities will benefit from the dedication of two local 4-H clubs as food costs are rising and food insecurity continues to be a concern. The Blue Ribbon 4-H club in Edwards County and the Wayne County 4-H Ambassadors received two of only 14 Illinois 4-H Food Advocacy Grants awarded this year. The 4-H clubs will use the grants to support the Edwards County Senior Citizens lunch program and Feeding Kids of Wayne County.
The Blue Ribbon 4-H club will use the grant to purchase meat from local businesses, Country Home Processing and Greathouse Grazing Acres. Doing so will ease the burden of rising food costs for the Edwards County Senior Citizens Center and allow them to continue serving nutritious meals to area residents. The Blue Ribbon 4-H club is led by Neil and Debbie Fearn, Drake and Haley Kelsey, and Debra Collier, Edwards County 4-H youth development Extension program coordinator.
The Wayne County 4-H Ambassadors will use grant funds to support Feeding Kids of Wayne County, which provides lunches to area youth during the summer. The essential food items and supplies needed for the lunches will be purchased using grant funds, and a food drive coordinated by the Ambassadors will supplement those needs with additional food donations.
Wayne County 4-H Youth Development Extension Program Coordinator, Ryan Littlejohn, said, “I am so proud of Wayne County Ambassadors for recognizing a need in their community and working so hard to find a solution. This shows how our 4-H members are Beyond Ready to meet the needs of our community and how much they care about making the best better.”
The 4-H Food Advocacy Grant, established in 2021, is funded by the Illinois 4-H Foundation, Compeer Financial, and The Brandt Foundation.
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.