Northern Illinois Food Bank, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charity organization and member of Feeding America - The Nation's Food Bank Network, was founded in May 1983 in Wheaton, Illinois and distributed 7,000 pounds of food in its first month. NIFB has grown tremendously in the past 26 years - distributing more than 27.2 million pounds of food in 2009 and currently serving over 520 food-assistance sites in 13 northern Illinois counties.

In 1995, Northern Illinois Food Bank relocated its headquarters to St. Charles, Illinois. In 2001, the Lake County Branch was opened in Park City, Illinois. In 2005, the Hunger Connection became a branch of Northern Illinois Food Bank in Rockford, Illinois.