Ill. food banks: 1.4 million sought help

SPRINGFIELD -- A coalition of food banks says more than 1.4 million people in Illinois sought help in putting food on the table last year.

That's roughly one of every 10 people in Illinois.

They got help from food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

The group Feeding Illinois said Wednesday that its numbers are based on a national study of food banks and the people they serve.

Feeding Illinois says many of the people had to choose between food and paying rent or electricity bills. Forty-two percent of the people they helped were children.

The group is asking Illinois lawmakers for more money and for a commission on hunger in Illinois.