Altria Names AFC to Lead
Hunger-Fighting Coalition

Thanks to a generous grant from the Altria Group, Inc., the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) will lead a coalition to help improve access to food and nutritional counseling for chronically ill individuals, including those living with HIV/AIDS and senior citizens.

"This project builds on AFC's experience in forming coalitions around serious issues facing people living with HIV/AIDS," said AFC Associate Director Shelly Ebbert. "By working together, AIDS service organizations and other advocacy groups can make change happen more effectively than any of us could alone."

AFC's partnership is one of only 24 coalitions nationwide to receive funding to address hunger in vulnerable communities. Altria Group, the parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris USA, and Philip Morris International, awarded more than $2 million this year as part of its anti-hunger Community Coalitions program.

As the coalition's lead agency, AFC will provide oversight for all funded activities and will head HIV-related nutrition advocacy. The coalition members will educate policymakers, service providers, and lawmakers regarding gaps in food services and ways to maximize resources to better meet existing needs. To this end, the coalition will increase efforts to enroll people living with HIV/AIDS and others in the food stamp program, and assist those individuals in maximizing the benefits they may receive. Members will also develop a plan for expanding state benefits to cover food and nutritional counseling.

Coalition members include Health and Disability Advocates, People's Resource Center, Catholic Charities Lake County Services, Vital Bridges, Illinois Hunger Coalition, and Greater Chicago Food Depository.

According to the Illinois Hunger Coalition, there are 1.4 million people in Illinois without regular access to enough food to feed their families.