DECATUR, Ill. — Illinois’ Farm Family Resource Initiative (FFRI) is now being embraced by the Illinois FFA.  

The FFRI, administered through the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development, seeks to improve the health and well-being of Illinois farm owners and their families by identifying farm family needs, including mental health needs. Under a new agreement announced last month at the 2023 Farm Progress Show (FPS), the Illinois FFA Foundation will partner with the initiative to fund mental health awareness programs in schools and rural communities via micro-grants of up to $1,000 per chapter. 

“The FFRI is out there for anyone who needs mental health assistance, and the phone number is 833-FARMSOS. The program started as a six-county program (originally announced at the 2021 FPS). There is a help line and a text line, an email and up to six free tele-health appointments available through the program, all 100 percent confidential,” said Jerry Costello II, Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) director. 

“There is a stigma attached to asking for mental health help. I can tell you as a farmer that they are very stoic individuals and may not ask for help if they need it. We’re thinking one of the ways to make sure that people know that (the FFRI) is out there and available is to start with our youth. That’s how we came to these micro-grants to FFA; they’ll help us make more people aware that these services are out there,” Costello added. 

The IDOA is working with the FFA Foundation and state director to get the grant program up and running. For the first year of the partnership, the micro-grants will be available to only 20 Illinois FFA programs. 

“The idea here is to make the grant process simplistic without a lot of red tape, and hopefully this is just the tip of the spear in engaging people in accessing mental health help,” Costello said. 

The FFRI was the brainchild of the late Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett, who, along with Costello and Governor JB Pritzker, saw the program expand from its original six-county, southern Illinois area to encompass all 102 counties in under two years. 

“Senator Bennett made the original request to put monies in the state budget for this pilot program,” Costello recalled. “It’s ironic how things have sort of come full circle. This was a project that meant so much to Senator Bennett, whose passing was so untimely. I very proudly am working with Governor Pritzker and others in the legislature to make sure this program continues to grow.”

Pritzker joined other FFRI proponents to announce the FFA micro-grant program on August 29, opening day for the 2023 FPS. “There is nothing more important than making sure that every Illinoisan has access to the mental health services they need to lead happy and healthy lives,” Pritzker said. 

Recent research from Western Illinois University’s Institute for Rural Affairs found rural communities lag behind cities in mental health care awareness, leading to “poor knowledge about mental health issues and minimal support for policies about mental health care.”

In addition, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration has designated every Illinois county as a “health professional shortage area.” The designation is determined by population statistics, the number of mental health providers and substance abuse prevalence. 

Mindy Bunselmeyer, Illinois FFA Foundation director, said she was excited about FFA’s new role within the FFRA network. “FFA members are creative thinkers and know and understand their communities,” she said. 

Anyone in immediate need of emergency mental health services should call or text the national suicide and crisis hotline at 988, or seek immediate online counseling at 988lifeline.org/chat.