ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- For most students, the final school bell on Friday signals a fun weekend ahead. But for others it can signal 72 hours without reliable access to nutritious food.

That's the gap the Geneva-based Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) is determined to close.

The NIFB's Backpack Program provides students at 190 participating schools across the region with food to take home each Friday. Their backpacks are filled with 12 pounds of food - enough for ten meals.

"No child has to wonder where their next meal is coming from," said Colleen Ahearn, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The program is designed not just to feed the student, but to relieve the burden on the entire family. "The idea is that a student can come home with their family and f

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