Visit the official $25 Challenge blog to hear from participants as they prepare for and take the challenge.
September is Hunger Action Month in Illinois
Throughout the month of September, IFBA will join Feeding America to mark the first-ever Hunger Action Month by hosting a series of events aimed at eradicating hunger in Illinois. Hunger Action Month is part of a nationwide effort to motivate local action to end hunger.
Illinois has experienced an unprecedented rise in the number of working families who are turning to food banks and pantries to make ends meet. As more and more families struggle to pay for surging costs of energy and other essentials, money left over at the end of the week for food is scarce.
Hunger Action Month will enable elected officials, community leaders and all other Illinois residents to join the fight against hunger by raising awareness of the food crisis locally and nationwide. Together, we can reverse the trend.
The $25 Challenge
Could you eat on $3 a day?
Every week, thousands of Illinoisans struggle to feed themselves and their families on less than $25 per person each week – or approximately $3.50 a day. If this sounds nearly impossible, it is. As a result, more and more of our neighbors are turning to food banks and pantries just to make ends meet.
As part of Hunger Action Month, the Illinois Food Bank Association is sponsoring the $25 Challenge, from September 22-28, to raise awareness of the difficult choices hungry people in our community face on a daily basis.
The $25 figure derives from the average weekly food stamp benefit an individual receives in Illinois.
Everyone is welcome to take the $25 Challenge to illustrate just how challenging it is to eat healthy on a limited budget. Participants include:
- Executive directors of the eight IFBA member food banks
- Elected officials
- Community leaders across the state
- Members of the media
- Concerned citizens
Visit the official $25 Challenge blog to hear from participants as they prepare for and take the challenge.
- $25 Challenge Profile (84 KB PDF)
- $25 Challenge Shopping List (148 KB PDF)