Rock Island County

Contact Info

Network Coordinator: Jessica Lovera-Matter (309) 736-7170 x110 jessical@foreverychild.org

Family Engagement Specialist: Sage Marske 309-736-7170 x130 sagem@foreverychild.org

Address: EveryChild
420 23rd Street
Rock Island, IL 61201

The Rock Island County AOK Network is in one of two counties that makes up the bi-state region of the “Quad Cities”. In 2024 we conducted our Community Assessment, Planning, and Action Process (CAPAP) to assess, identify, and prioritize system issues affecting families and children in Rock Island County. Through that process, our Network identified a Targeted Problem to build our five-year strategic plan for system improvement around: not all children are developing positively socially and emotionally.

Our CAPAP work prioritized connecting young children and their family’s experiencing poverty to the community resources they need to support their positive development. Data shows that 1 in 4 children under the age of 5 in Rock Island County live at or below the federal poverty level, 10% higher than the national level. Children living in poverty experience higher rates of developmental delays, toxic stress, chronic illness, and nutritional deficits. Additionally, 15% of Rock Island County’s population does not have reliable access to food. Food insecurity is associated with poor school performance or delayed development, behavioral problems like anxiety and depression, as well as physical health issues. It is hard for a young child to develop positively, socially and emotionally, when facing these substantial additional challenges.

The Rock Island County AOK Network helps families make sense of confusing systems. To illustrate, Maddy is single mom who lives in Rock Island. She must carefully budget her needs to provide for herself and her two young children. She relies on SNAP to supplement some of her family’s food needs so that her wages can go to their other basic needs. In October 2025, Maddy heard that there was a possibility she would not be receiving her November SNAP benefits due to the federal government shut down. She was anxious and worried about how she would be able to feed her children but also not be late paying rent and other bills.

As October went on, Maddy became increasingly anxious and worried about how she would be able to feed her children. She worried she might be late paying rent or other bills if she had to use the money she had budgeted for food instead. Maddy expressed her worries about not receiving her SNAP benefits to her daughter’s preschool teacher at pickup. Her teacher asked if she had seen the AOK Network’s Quad Cities Food Resource Guide that the preschool posted on their website. The preschool teacher explained that the Food Resource Guide listed grocery stores, food pantries, and free meal sites for each of the Quad Cities. The preschool teacher could see Maddy was still hesitant, so she told her she would be able to print out the part of the guide that showed the food resources specifically for the city Maddy lived in. She also mentioned that the preschool receives monthly produce bags from the AOK Network, and she would make sure to reserve one this month for Maddy and her family.

Maddy, and many other families like her experiencing poverty and food insecurity, were unsure of what food resources were available beyond SNAP assistance. The Rock Island County AOK Network was able to help address that barrier with the creation of an encompassing food resource guide and fresh produce bags in conjunction with our local food bank. The Rock Island AOK Network will continue to be the connector to our partners and the families they serve, always striving towards our goal of all children developing positively.