Northern Illinois Food Bank's Annual Holiday Meal Box Program delivers all the fixings for a traditional family meal to a family of eight, including a 12-14 pound turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, and dessert.  During the holiday season - the Season of Giving, our hungry neighbors too often struggle to put any food on the table, let alone a special holiday meal.  NIFB works very hard to help its agency network provide this to those who need it most.  These boxes are sponsored by donations from individuals, companies, and community groups.

The 2007 Holiday Meal Box Program kicked off on Saturday, October 27 in St. Charles - more than 100 dedicated volunteers packed 5,750 boxes!  Volunteers will continue to pack boxes through December 8 so that over 27,200 boxes were be ready for distribution to NIFB agency partners to benefit over 217,000 of our hungry neighbors.  To help keep their energy up, snacks have been provided by Sara Lee Corporation and George Weston Bakeries, and lunches have been provided by Panera Bread, Sweet Baby Ray's, and Connie's Pizza.

The Holiday Meal Box Program 2007 was generously sponsored in part by the Sara Lee Foundation. Support from these Holiday Meal Box Partners also made the program possible: CROSSMARK, Jewel-Osco, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, George Weston Bakeries Inc., and The J.M. Smucker Company.

Since its inception, NIFB's Holiday Meal Box Program has continued to grow. Seven years ago, the program helped 3,500 area families to enjoy a brighter holiday. In 2005, the program reached nearly 12,800 families. The program has now more than doubled in size - with more than 27,200 families to be helped during the 2007 Holiday Season!

Give the gift of love and hope this holiday season by making a generous donation to the Holiday Meal Box program. Click here to make a donation to NIFB's Holiday Meal Box Program.

To get more information on how you can sponsor a box for a family, volunteer, or to learn more about NIFB please call 630.443.6910.