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Illinois Shines Program
Between Friends Food Pantry and the Northern Illinois Food Bank would like to share a new opportunity available to community organizations and households through the Illinois Shines Program, a state-sponsored solar initiative designed to help reduce monthly energy costs.
Through this program, eligible participants can enroll in a local community solar project and receive credits applied directly to their monthly ComEd bill—without installing rooftop panels or paying any upfront costs.
How It Works
Participants are matched with a local Illinois solar farm. As the project generates energy, participants earn solar credits that are applied to their ComEd bill, helping lower monthly utility costs.
Program Benefits
Save 10–20% on monthly energy costs
No sign-up fees or hidden costs
Keep your existing utility service – ComEd continues delivering power
No rooftop installation required
Flexible participation – subscriptions can be canceled or transferred if circumstances change
Enrollment is completely voluntary
Ways to Participate
Option 1: Email Your Utility Bill
Send a photo of a current utility bill to:
An Edify specialist will review the bill and provide a free savings estimate.
Option 2: Call for Assistance
Call the Edify help line at 331-313-8207 to ask questions, receive a savings estimate, and enroll if interested.
Please note: ***Participation does not impact eligibility for pantry services or other assistance programs.
The Illinois FRESH program is here! FRESH (Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger) launched August 1st and provides a one-time emergency payment of $400 for up to 175,000 neighbors who lost SNAP benefits due to the federal work requirements.
The FRESH program is automatic, meaning there is no application process, action, or additional information that neighbors need to submit to claim the funds. This program is issued per individual (not household) and will be distributed on their Illinois LINK card.
Learn how it works:
As Illinois rolls out new supports like FRESH to help residents facing benefit losses, advocates are also monitoring the federal policy developments that may affect benefit access and participation in food assistance programs. One of the most significant recent updates is the release of the new public charge rule last month.
For more than two decades, U.S. immigration officials have explicitly reassured neighbors that participating in federal programs like SNAP, Medicaid and WIC would not affect their ability to become lawful permanent residents.
However, the new public charge framework could create a chilling effect, causing families who are eligible for government assistance to forgo benefits out of fear and seek assistance from food banks and pantries.
Learn more about how this may impact families:
