The Dixon City Fire Department, Dixon Rural Fire Department and Advance EMS responded Tuesday, Dec. 23, to a report of a grill fire at McDonald’s, 207 N. Galena Ave., Dixon.

Leave the cooking and clean up to someone else on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

The new New Year's Eve party will have a late-night food menu, hand-crafted cocktails, DJs and more.

Here are the winners for the best coffee shops in the Best of the Fox, Best of the Illinois Valley, DeKalb County's Finest and Sauk Valley Favorites contest.

Kendall County residents can celebrate the holidays safely by keeping these guidelines in mind when doing food prep and hosting parties.

Daniel and I are going to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. Or at least we are going to attempt to. I can’t imagine what his will look like, but I’ll give him an A for effort.

A federal nutrition program, SNAP-Ed, will end this year after losing federal funding, affecting local families in Kankakee and Will counties who rely on free healthy eating education.

The Plano Methodist Church collected over 125 items to be donated to the Kendall County Food Pantry.

Storybook Cafe offers authentic matcha lattes made with premium Japanese green tea, artisan pastries baked fresh daily and more.

Now the FIT Foundation – a meal prep company is seeking donations for Christmas dinners for Joliet and Crest Hill police officers who are working on Christmas Day.

Bring the kids to see Santa Sunday, Dec. 21 at Hank's Farm in Ottawa.

All in need are welcome to visit the pantry location at First Lutheran Church in Plano, 200 N. Center St.

In November, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 21 other AG’s offices sued the Trump administration after it attempted to cut off SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents

The Feathered Fork, located at 20631 Renwick Road, is part of the Aurora-based JH Hospitality Group.

“We have a community that is working hard – and many are working multiple jobs – to make ends meet. But it’s still not enough,“ said Sarah Oprzedek, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Will County.

The drive-thru event runs from 4-5:30 p.m. at Romeoville Village Hall parking lot, 1050 W. Rodeo Road.

My mind keeps drifting back to five years ago today ... a day that changed our lives.

While wanting to help is commendable, it’s important to prioritize food safety. Those relying on food pantries often face higher risks of severe illness due to chronic health conditions, age or other factors.

This is the third year United Way of Grundy County is participating in the Herald Angels campaign.

Evelyn Grace Kamer, a sophomore at Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox and member of student council, will portray St. Lucia – also known as the Queen of Light – at the festival.

Rooted for Good – a nonprofit working to address hunger and expand access to healthy, sustainably grown foods – is about 30% of the way toward funding a new $6 million headquarters on DeKalb’s northwest side.

The restaurant, also known by its former name – Babe’s Hot Dogs – serves a wide variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps and its legendary Daisy Brand hot dogs, which Babe’s owner Tim Reilly said he’s used “from day one.”

This new location at 1351 Shale Road in Joliet, will feature Chipotlane, a drive-thru pick-up lane where customers can pick up their digital orders.

The award-winning American Legion Band will hold its annual Christmas concert at the Rialto Square Theatre on Dec. 14 to benefit Catholic Charities.

On Thanksgiving Day, Daniel Ray and I hosted a mystery menu dinner here for both sides of our family

The Greggory is centered around live-fire cooking in an open-show kitchen with a menu that includes dishes such as bone-in prime rib, Slagel Farms rotisserie chicken and Mediterranean sea bass.

Oregon Living & Rehab Center at 811 S. 10th St. is collecting food donations Dec. 1-22, 2025, to help local families in need.

Bitter cold on its way to DeKalb County this week isn’t enough to stop TD Ryan from doing what he does best: Freezing for food. The former radio host’s annual Freezin’ For Food collection drive, in its 25th year, runs Thursday through Saturday.

Keg Grove Brewing Company opened in a former fire station in Morris in 2024.

The Joliet Police Department and the Salvation Army have partnered again to host the annual Patrol For Hunger food drive benefiting Joliet-area families at the holidays.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that the action is in the works because those states are refusing to provide data the department requested such as the names and immigration status of the aid recipients. Democratic states have sued

For this column, I’m going to share some excerpts from my mother, Elizabeth Coblentz’s, columns from November 1994

Anyone seeking to receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has to apply, regardless if they are currently receiving them, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Hilldale Cafe in Lanark combines creativity and comfort to craft dishes that surprise and delight.

As part of the restaurant chain’s commitment to combating hunger, Chick-fil-A has selected 22 food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens to surprise with $25,000 grants this holiday season.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other attorneys general are asking the federal court to vacate the new SNAP guidance and block its implementation “to ensure that families do not lose critical food assistance,” Raoul's office said

Portillo’s Vice President of Restaurant Support Michael Portillo will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Plainfield location, which will include a check presentation to Bags of Hope, Portillo’s charity partner.

The annual Candlelight Christmas event begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Chana United Methodist Church, 606 N. Main St., in Chana.

Zaxbys has purchased the former Slim Chickens restaurant at Illinois Route 59 and 135th Street, village officials announced on Monday. It would be the first Zaxbys restaurant in Illinois.

Over the past 112 years, the Rotary Club of Joliet has donated more than $1million in grants, scholarships and charitable support throughout the greater Joliet area.

While out on their hunt, son-in-law Tim shot a 10-point buck. He shot an 8-point buck during bow season. This is helping Tim and Elizabeth fill their freezer since beef prices are so high

The items can be dropped off at various locations throughout the Will County area.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 27 in 2025. Make your dinner reservations now and leave the cooking and clean up to someone else!

Fox Valley United Way looks to supplement its Holiday Assistance families with gift cards of $25 or more to help meet their practical needs this season.

Farmers are rebuilding turkey flocks hit hard by avian flu, and overall demand has declined. That combination is helping keep turkey costs down for families this Thanksgiving.

Constellation, owner of the Byron Nuclear Plant, presented a $15,000 donation to the Rochelle Christian Food Pantry on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.

Dixon American Legion Post 12 will be serving baked ham, au gratin potatoes, rolls, vegetable, salad and dessert from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at 1120 W. First St.

The 211 Helpline is a free, multi-lingual, confidential, 24-hour information and referral service where a live person helps the caller access resources and supports for a wide variety of needs.

Mosaic Kitchen & Cocktails is now open on South Third Street in Geneva.

Streetwise Tattoos, of Sterling, invites the community to take part in The Spirit of Giving Food Drive during a three-day tattoo-for-donations event from Nov. 21–23, 2025. It's an initiative supporting local food pantries and a newly opened homeless shelter.