(305 ILCS 42/5)
Sec. 5.
Legislative findings.
The General Assembly finds a definite
correlation between proper health and adequate diet and nutrition and hereby
recognizes the importance of federal food and nutrition assistance programs
in minimizing the incidence of hunger and nutrition related health problems
for those who participate in such programs.
The General Assembly also finds that a significant portion of otherwise
eligible residents of Illinois do not participate in existing federal food
assistance programs such as the food stamp program, school lunch and
breakfast programs, child care food programs, summer food programs,
the special supplemental program for women, infants and children, congregate
meal programs, and home-delivered meal programs. That lack of participation
is, in the General Assembly's view, due predominantly to a lack of adequate
program information as to eligibility and application procedures, a lack of
access to and in many instances availability of benefits under those federal
food assistance programs, and the unavailability of federal funding
specifically for outreach efforts to expand program coverage and
participation among eligible persons.
The General Assembly believes that it is in the interest of the public
health of the economically vulnerable residents of Illinois to establish a
program of community-based nutrition outreach to enroll eligible targeted
populations in federal food and nutrition assistance programs designed for
them and to promote the fuller implementation and utilization of federal
food assistance programs in unserved or underserved areas.
(Source: P.A. 93-555, eff. 1-1-04.)
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