Food bank giving out free groceries at Joliet Junior College on Saturday

Anyone in need of food is encouraged to come out to Joliet Junior College on Saturday.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank will hold a free pop-up grocery distribution from 9 to 11 a.m. at the college, 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet.

The food bank will use a drive-thru model to distribute groceries to 1,000 families, according to a news release from the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Volunteers will load food into the recipients’ vehicles.

Groceries will be distributed a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. No identification or registration is required.

More than 500,000 people each month seek food assistance from the Northern Illinois Food Bank due to “inflation, rising food costs and the ending of the emergency government benefits,” according to the release.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank works with more than “900 food pantries, mobile food truck markets and soup kitchens who distribute perishable and nonperishable foods,” according to the food bank’s website.

For information and to access additional food distribution opportunities and resources, visit solvehungertoday.org.