Illinois

Southern Illinois Food Insecurity Summit held at John A. Logan College

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2024

Southern Illinois Food Insecurity Summit held at John A. Logan College

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) – Imagine not having enough food to feed your family–it’s a reality for folks in every community across the United States, including here in the Heartland.

A summit held Tuesday at John A. Logan College is working to end food insecurity in the area.

Numbers from Feeding America show food insecurity affects approximately 13,000 children across southern Illinois.

Jennifer Paulson is working to change that by supplying food and teaching sustainable farming methods through the non-profit Food Works.

”That can look like a lot of things: workshops for farmers, farmers markets, food hubs, and then the snap and link program at farmers markets across southern Illinois,” Paulson said.

She told us the fourth annual Southern Illinois Food Security Summit helps bring organizations and non-profits together to network and ensure crucial needs are met as the hunger fight continues.

”It really takes all these groups working together and coming at it from different angles,” she said.

Food Works recently launched a new mobile farmers market to help families in southern Illinois communities that don’t have easy access to a grocery store.

”It essentially is a farmers market on wheels. So all the food groups you expect to see at a farmers market–fresh produce, local meat, dairy, baked goods, all those things,” Paulson said. “And this vehicle lets us take that market on the road to the communities that need it.”

Elizabeth Deruntz, the deputy director of Food Works, said this is a great way to come up with new ideas to fight hunger in the heartland.

”It’s wonderful to meet with people who are like-minded about sourcing food and getting food to more food to people in our region. It is a regional struggle and we need to find new and interesting ways to work together,” she said.

For more information on how you can help fight hunger in southern Illinois, visit https://www.feedsi.org/.

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Illinois

Central Illinois couple spends golden years serving others

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Press Room

Central Illinois couple spends golden years serving others

PEORIA (25News Now) – One Central Illinois couple is spending their golden years trying to make the world a better place.

Sandy and Phillip Anton have been volunteering at Midwest Food Bank since 2022. Sandy interacts with clients, helping them get checked in and pick out good food. Phillip is the one who operates the overhead door so that volunteers can load up the vehicles. Both of them are trained in other roles as well.

“We’ve been aware, through family and community connections, of the need, of food insecurity. We know the need is out there. We made a purposeful decision to focus our retirement on food insecurity,” Sandy said.

The food bank praised the couple for their skill at interacting with the community. The organization do much of their work with the help of volunteers like the Antons.

You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.

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Illinois

Authorities: Woman’s BAC was nearly 3 times legal limit in Lombard, Illinois crash that injured family of 4

Published

22 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Authorities: Woman’s BAC was nearly 3 times legal limit in Lombard, Illinois crash that injured family of 4

A woman was released on electronic monitoring Wednesday after authorities said she drove drunk and caused a crash that injured a family of four in Lombard, Illinois.

Among the injured was a 10-year-old boy.

Jaquelin Onofre Reyes, 27, appeared in DuPage County First Appearance Court on Wednesday morning. The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office had asked to have Reyes detained on a charge of felony aggravated driving under the influence causing great bodily harm, but Judge Joshua Dieden denied the motion.

Onofre Reyes was instead released on electronic monitoring — with conditions that she may not possess or consume any alcohol or drugs.

Lombard police were called at 12:12 p.m. Tuesday for the crash at Route 53 and the Illinois Prairie Path.

Authorities said Onofre Reyes was driving a Hummer sport-utility vehicle south on Route 53 when she veered into the northbound lanes in an attempt to pass traffic in front of her. When Onofre Reyes tried to get back into the southbound lanes, she hit another car, crossed back into oncoming northbound traffic, and hit an Infiniti sport-utility vehicle headed north, authorities said.

Inside the Infiniti were a family of four, with two children ages 7 and 10. Everyone in the family was taken to the hospital, authorities said.

The 10-year-old boy suffered serious injuries and has been taken to another hospital for surgery, authorities said.

Police found that Onofre Reyes had two open containers of alcoholic beverages in her car at the time of the crash, authorities said. Her blood alcohol level was .238 — nearly three times the legal limit, authorities said.

“This incident involved a reckless and irresponsible individual who allegedly chose to operate a motor vehicle while impaired with complete disregard for the safety of others,” Lombard police Chief Joe Grage said in a news release. “Unfortunately, this decision led to a crash that caused significant injuries to innocent people.”

Onofre Reyes is due back in court on Jan. 20 in front of DuPage County Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh.

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