 |
 |
In this Issue:
Welcome: HungerBytes
From the Heart of Texas
Feeding the Future
Golf Balls, Elbow Grease... |
|
September/October
2006 - Vol. 1, Issue 1 |
 |
October 13, 7pm – 10pm
Discovering Spain Festival Fundraiser
Meson Sabika Tapas Bar & Restaurant, 1025 Aurora
Avenue, Naperville
Meson Sabika, Naperville’s award winning tapas bar and
restaurant, hosts an evening of fine wine, authentic Spanish
cuisine, and traditional Flamenco entertainment to benefit NIFB
and World Vision. Call 630.443.6910 today before tickets sell
out!
October 15 & 22
CROP Hunger Walks
Sign-up today to participate and raise funds in one of the many
CROP Walks and exercise your support of hungry people around the
world. Walks will take place in around the world - get involved
locally at any of the following walks: Naperville, Downers
Grove, Batavia, Libertyville, Waukegan, Barrington, or Rockford.
Click here to learn more.
October 28
Holiday Meal Box Kick-Off
NIFB starts off the holiday season right by delivering
all the fixings for a traditional family meal to a family of
eight, including a 13-pound turkey, stuffing, potatoes,
vegetables, and dessert. Over 18,000 meal boxes will be assembled
and distributed this year. Call 630.443.6910 to learn how you can
sponsor a box for a family or to volunteer! |
|
WELCOME TO HUNGERBYTES
|
|
Call the NIFB location nearest you
to get involved!
St. Charles - 630.443.6910
Lake County Branch - 847.336.3663
Rockford Branch - 815.961.7283
or email
hunger@northernilfoodbank.org
for more information today!
You can support the
Northern Illinois Food Bank's mission to provide nutritious food to
all those in need through our own efforts and those of our
non-profit partners.
Click here to make a donation TODAY! |
On behalf of the Northern Illinois Food Bank
(NIFB), welcome to your first issue of NIFB’s HungerBytes eNewsletter. You have expressed interest in learning more
about your food bank and our efforts to provide nutritious food to
all those in need through our own efforts and those of our
non-profit partners. We listened and put together HungerBytes
for you, our supporters, so you can be kept informed about what’s
happening at NIFB. Let me share a few quick, simple facts
about NIFB that will help you become more aware of our everyday
activities.
As a member of America’s Second Harvest, The
Nation’s Food Bank Network, NIFB works to serve 13 northern Illinois
counties with a combined population of over 3.7 million people of
whom 262,465 are at or below the poverty level. To combat this
problem, NIFB gathers, handles, cleans, and distributes donated food
from national food manufacturers, food retailers and individuals to a
network of more than 520 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and
other food assistance sites. As a major force in your
community, NIFB is committed to ending hunger in northern Illinois.
I need your help to educate others throughout the community about
the need of our hungry neighbors. Forward this newsletter to
your friends, family, and neighbors so they can join our efforts.
Thank you and enjoy.
Sincerely,
H. Dennis Smith
Executive Director
|
VOLUNTEERS:
FROM THE HEART OF TEXAS
On Saturday, July 8th, the Colony Church youth
church group set out from The Colony, Texas, a northern suburb of
Dallas, on a journey that would take them half way around the country
in a display of true volunteerism. After a whirlwind trip to Houston,
New York City, Buffalo, Toronto, and Detroit, doing tasks, such as painting rooms, serving in
a soup kitchen, and visiting a senior center, the group arrived at
Northern Illinois Food Bank; enthusiasm and
energies high.
In just five hours at NIFB, the group prepared 9,600
pounds of meat and 8,000 cans of food for distribution to agency
partners. With every new delivery of meat to their station, chants of
“Meat! Meat! Meat!” filled the warehouse and highlighted their fervor
and joy for helping others.
One teen stated that “I never thought being so
tired could feel so good.”
Group leader Sherman Gardner explained, “I love to
show the teens that there is a much bigger world." What makes
the trip even more remarkable is that everything remains a mystery to
the group. "The teens have no idea where it is that they are going and
what the projects are that they will be doing”, adds Gardner. A true sense of excitement and service becomes evident in the
group.
Thank you to The Colony Church of Christ youth
group for their big Texas hearts and for helping to feed hungry people
in northern Illinois!
Click here for more information on volunteering
with Northern Illinois Food Bank.
|
FEEDING THE FUTURE:
SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM
During the school year, many
low-income children rely almost exclusively on the reduced-priced
and free meals provided through the school system as their source of
food. Sadly, these meals may be the only food these kids eat all
day; supper is never a guarantee in their lives. But what happens
when the school year comes to an end? These children know all too
well that hunger does not take a summer vacation. This is where
NIFB's Summer Food Service Program comes in.
NIFB implemented the Summer
Food Service Program in 1999 to meet this gap. During this summer,
NIFB served over 62,600 meals to hungry children throughout northern
Illinois. NIFB ensures all lunches meet USDA guidelines so parents
count on their children receiving the most nutritious lunches
around. In addition to satisfying immediate hunger needs, providing
quality nutritious food will help these kids develop better eating
habits for their whole lives.
The need that exists among
the children is evident through this program. Jennifer Anderson,
NIFB's Youth Nutrition Program Coordinator, saw daily participation
increase this summer to 1,856 children. But this still falls far
short of helping the more than 80,000 children living in poverty in
northern Illinois. “Besides families not knowing about this program,
there are just not enough sites that sign up each year to host the
lunches,” says Anderson. Without participation of additional sites,
the program cannot reach its full potential and help more kids.
One thing is for sure: the Summer Food Service Program has helped
many children. One day, a mother came into the Nuestro Senora de
Guadalupe site with tears in her eyes. She had no food at home and
was not able to feed her children. She did not
even have money to take a bus to the Center.
(Continued) |
|
FEEDING THE FUTURE (CONT.)
 The
Center went
above and beyond to provide the children with transportation to the
program, and guaranteed these kids at least one healthy meal each day
for the summer.
A parent of a child attending the Kankakee Community Resource Center
program said, “Thank you so much. My kids say the lunches are the best
in the world.” These families can rest assured that NIFB will continue
to feed hungry children in our communities.
For more information on Youth
Nutrition Programs or to learn how you can start hosting free summer
lunches for needy kids contact Jennifer Anderson at (630) 443-6910,
ext. 33 or
click here.
|
GOLF BALLS, ELBOW GREASE, & CHEESEBURGERS?
Well, how else does
one fight hunger? These things have one very special element in
common - VOLUNTEERS! Two donor-sponsored, volunteer-organized events
were hosted in August to benefit NIFB’s mission of providing food
assistance to our hungry neighbors in northern Illinois.
SCRAMBLE!
 That's
golf balls, not eggs. Funds to support the NIFB mission were raised
by a dedicated group of corporate volunteers from BP who organized
and hosted the BP IST/Shipping Charity Golf Outing at Tamarack Golf
Club in Naperville on August 15. (continued)
|
|
SCRAMBLE! (CONT.)
BP employees were
encouraged to solicit corporate sponsorships and invite clients to
come golf for a good cause. The outing raised the hunger awareness, as
well as, funding to provide over 300,000 meals to our hungry
neighbors! Sharing the beautiful day on the golf course, participants
also made a huge difference in the lives of those who truly need our
help.
More
than just talk – Elbow Grease too!
As BP’s "Charity
of Choice 2005”, -employees donated nearly 1,000 hours of their time
volunteering at NIFB sorting and packing donated goods for
distribution to food assistance agencies in NIFB's 13-county service
area.
QUOTE OF
THE MONTH:
Society is
composed of two great classes—those who have more dinners than
appetite, and those who have more appetite than dinners.
- Sébastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort
|
GRILLING
UP MORE THAN JUST A BURGER...
 The
Best Cheeseburger in Paradise Cook-Off 2006, this Buffet-themed event
accomplished its goal to raise awareness and funds to support NIFB’s
fight against hunger. Ten grilling teams competed for the Best
Cheeseburger title at Forest Hills Lanes in Loves Park on August 19
during the inaugural event. So, who is the fairest of them all? Why,
it’s the Hilbileberger, of course! Plans have already begun for the
2007 event.
Julie Christian,
volunteer event organizer, recalls how this event came to life. “ One
evening, a group of co-workers and I were talking about the needs of
our community. We felt compelled to do something to make a difference.
The music playing in the background happened to be a Jimmy Buffet song
and suddenly, the idea was born to have a cheeseburger cook-off and
the rest is history!” Julie, a dedicated mother of 3, Registered
Nurse, and volunteer, spent the next six months devoting her free time
to coordinate this event. Among other things, she secured sponsors,
collected raffle items, and put together a judging panel to bring this
event to life. NIFB is proud to have Julie as a part of its family.
|
|