Abbott and its philanthropic arm, Abbott Fund, have announced a $250,000 grant to support the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s BackPack Program. The initiative aims to provide weekend meals to children facing food insecurity in Northern Illinois.
The BackPack Program works with 190 schools across nine counties, including Boone, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago. According to the food bank, one in nine children in the region are food insecure—a figure that has risen by 32% since 2019.
The grant from Abbott Fund will help supply weekly backpacks filled with shelf-stable food to 2,000 children during the school year. Each backpack is designed to feed a child and up to three family members over the weekend or school holidays. School staff identify students for the program based on signs of chronic hunger or family need…