The Extension Nutrition Security and Food Systems Fund ensures that families across Illinois can find healthy food and trusted nutrition guidance at a time when the need has never been greater.
For generations, Illinois Extension has been a trusted presence in communities — helping parents stretch grocery dollars, guiding families toward healthier choices, and connecting neighbors to local food resources. This fund sustains that work and allows it to grow, ensuring that practical, research-based solutions continue to reach people across all 102 counties. That’s why our goal is to secure 102 donors for this campaign — one for every county we serve — underscoring the statewide impact Extension has every day.
Through Illinois Extension’s statewide network, this fund helps Illinois families overcome food access barriers and build long-term household food security. Extension educators work side by side with community organizations to address systemic challenges and deliver practical, on-the-ground solutions for those most in need.
Together, we can ensure every child and every family has access to the food and resources they need to live well.
What Your Support Makes Possible
Your gift helps maintain and expand high-impact programs that serve families every day, including:
- Find Food IL Map: A statewide tool that connects individuals to food pantries, meal sites, and food assistance programs.
- Eat.Move.Save. Education that helps families build healthy habits, manage food budgets, and make informed choices.
- Community Partnerships: Collaborative efforts that address local food gaps and strengthen neighborhood food systems.
A Living Expression of Our Land-Grant Mission
Illinois Extension is a vital part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, carrying forward our land-grant mission to put knowledge to work for the public good. Your support of this fund strengthens ACES’ commitment to serve Illinois families through research-based education, community partnership, and a shared belief that access to nutritious food is fundamental to a strong and healthy state.
Learn more about the impact of this work: https://extension.illinois.edu/global/snap-education-impact
