Jewel-Osco is committed to increasing access to nutritious food for people with limited economic resources. Understanding that many financially struggling households visit emergency food assistance sites, Jewel-Osco is inviting qualified food pantry programs and community soup kitchens to apply for capacity-building funding through the Jewel-Osco Hunger Relief Grant Program.

Food pantries and soup kitchens may apply for grants up to $2,500 to fund projects that address the goals of Jewel-Osco’s Hunger Relief Grant Program.

These goals include:
- Increasing distribution of food to needy people
- Increasing access to food assistance in local communities
- Connecting clients utilizing food assistance programs to additional services or public benefits that will help
alleviate food insecurity
- Improving organizational efficiency to deliver hunger relief services & information

The Jewel-Osco Hunger Relief Grant Program is highly competitive in nature and not all agencies that apply will receive funding.

Criteria for Participation:
- Agency must be located in a Jewel-Osco customer service area in the following counties in Illinois: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. In Indiana, the counties of Porter and Lake are eligible.
- Agency must be an active member of one of Feeding America food banks (formerly America’s Second Harvest), including the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFB), the Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB), or the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana (FBNI)
- Agency must be in good standing with their food bank at application time (i.e. agency sends in all required documentation, service reports, timely payments of bills, compliance with monitoring standards, etc.)
- Agency must be in operation for at least one year at the time of grant deadline.
- Agency must submit a comprehensive grant request which will include the attached application and supporting documentation
- Agency must participate in a full grant review process which may include an interview and an on-site visit by a designated representative(s)of the grant review team
- Agency must submit semiannual benchmarking reports outlining the progression towards the agency’s capacity building or other grant goal (s)
- Agencies that received a grant under the 2008 Jewel-Osco Hunger Relief Grant Program are still eligible to apply, but must have submitted the required benchmarking reports for consideration in 2009 grant program.

Program Deadlines & Dates

First Week of June, 2009
- Member agencies of Feeding America food banks in Jewel-Osco customer service areas will receive notification of the Request for Proposals and application materials.
- Grant materials will be posted online by the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, and the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, as well as Jewel-Osco.

Mid June – August 2009
- Feeding America Food Banks will invite member agencies to scheduled technical assistance workshops to answer questions pertaining to the grant process and to assist with the application process.

August 14, 2009
- Deadline for Grant Applications – Applications must be postmarked by Friday, August 14, 2009 at 5:00 pm. No faxed, incomplete, or late applications will be accepted. Two complete copies of the grant request must be mailed to: Jewel – Osco Hunger Relief Grant Program, Public Affairs Department, 150 Pierce, Suite 200, Itasca, IL 60143.

August – October 2009
- Jewel-Osco Hunger Relief Grant Review Team will evaluate all applications and may conduct individual agency interviews or site visits as needed.

First Week of November 2009
- Hunger Relief Grant Awards will be announced by Jewel-Osco.
- Jewel Osco will present awards to recipient agencies at a Hunger Action Event coordinated by participating Feeding America Food Banks.

Dowload the Hunger Relief application.

Dowload a list of the 2008 winners.