The Illinois Commission to End Hunger is a public-private partnership composed of stakeholders from across the state dedicated to the belief that no one in Illinois should ever face hunger. The Commission was established by the Commission to End Hunger Act of 2010 with the purpose of developing an action plan to ensure cross-collaboration among government entities and community partners toward the shared goal of ending hunger in Illinois.
Commission Goals
The Commission released From Food Insecurity to Food Equity: A Roadmap to End Hunger in Illinois, a multi-year action plan to take meaningful steps toward ending hunger. The report sets out a three-part strategy for doing a better job of connecting food insecure people to federal nutrition programs. The Roadmap makes specific recommendations for leveraging technology; harnessing innovation; and strengthening collaboration.
- Leverage technology: Technology should be leveraged to make it easier to enroll - and stay enrolled - in nutrition assistance programs.
- Harness innovation: We must re-envision what food assistance looks like by piloting a comprehensive set of strategies for improving food access in underserved rural and urban areas and fully leveraging policy innovation in program delivery.
- Strengthen collaboration: Working together better can improve awareness of food assistance programs and ensure that all doors lead to the programs people need. While strengthening nutrition programs and improving access will alleviate hunger in the near-term, we must address the root causes of poverty and racial inequity and create economic opportunity for all communities if we are to eliminate hunger in Illinois.
Poverty and racial inequity limit opportunity in Illinois and across the country. Ensuring access to good-paying jobs, affordable housing, reliable transportation, and quality childcare are critical to realizing lasting food security and meeting the promise of equitable economic opportunity. To that end, the Commission to End Hunger will work in partnership with the Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security to advance strategies that reduce poverty and promote economic opportunity for all Illinoisans.
The Commission has convened working groups to help advance the vision laid out in the report.
Commission Activities
The Commission is in the process of executing the Roadmap 3-part strategy through working groups:
- Technology: The Technology Working Group is advancing specific changes to the way programs leverage technology to make it easier for individuals to enroll in - and stay enrolled in - nutrition programs.
- Innovation: The Innovation Working Group is advancing innovations around access and delivery of food retail, food pantries, and nutrition assistance programs, including innovations to both policy and program implementation.
- Collaboration: The Collaboration Working Group is working across agencies and nonprofit organizations to advance strategies to improve awareness of food assistance programs and ensure that all doors lead to the programs people need
Resources
Meetings
The Commission to End Hunger meets 2 times annually. Commission meeting dates for 2022 have not yet been set.
In addition to the full Commission meetings, working groups meet quarterly to execute the initiatives outlined in the Roadmap. Working group meeting dates for 2022 have not yet been set.
Contacts for questions or support:
IDHS Administrative Support
Commission Support Contacts
