CHAMPAIGN, Ill – For several weeks, staff of the Champaign County Extension office have witnessed dozens of individuals bring in bags and bags of shelf-stable items for the Holiday Food Drive. The Holiday Food Drive was launched to help feed families and individuals in need throughout Champaign County.
Donated items have included various soups, canned goods, macaroni and cheese, rice, peanut butter, assorted condiments, and much more. A unique recurring donation was bags upon bags on fresh potatoes, which would be perfect for making a tasty side dish for Thanksgiving.
“The turnout for this food drive has just been amazing,” said University of Illinois SNAP-Ed Educator Tracy Bowden. “It’s great to see the community come together and support each other during this challenging time.”
This week, University of Illinois Extension SNAP-Ed began distributing goods received from the Holiday Food Drive. The donations will go to three Head Start locations and three food pantries within Champaign County, with one of the first batches of donations going to the Community Service Center of Northern Champaign County in Rantoul.
As of Monday afternoon, on November 24, the cumulative weight of donated food was a whopping 431 pounds.
All collected items are being donated to local food pantries and families in Champaign County and will benefit those who need a little extra support this holiday season.
Donations can still be received until Wednesday, November 26, at the Champaign County Extension office at 801 N. Country Fair Dr. in Champaign between 8 AM and 4 PM.
For more information regarding the food drive, contact Tracy Bowden at tbowden@illinois.edu.
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.