Veolia Environmental Services North America Corp. has partnered with NIFB in the fight against hunger by donating a 16-foot refrigerated straight truck with a lift gate through a $45,000 grant from the Veolia Environnement Foundation. NIFB is proud to be the first local organization to receive a grant from the Foundation.  Because the vehicle is so versatile, it will help NIFB to strengthen its programs and initiatives through a more cost effective method of distribution, while providing numerous opportunities for a regular pool of volunteer drivers to help in feeding hungry neighbors. Directly tied with Veolia’s practice of “turning waste into a resource,” NIFB will be able to acquire and distribute MORE perishable products – including protein – in a flexible, food-safe, and frequent manner that meets the needs of its donors and agency partners.

“The Veolia Environnement Foundation was developed to encourage Veolia’s employees to be closely involved in outreach programs within the communities in which they reside,” said Curtis Mabry, Veolia Environmental Services North America Vice President – Sales, Marketing and Communications. “We are very pleased that the Foundation has enthusiastically agreed to support the Northern Illinois Food Bank with this donation. The NIFB provides vital social services to the counties in Northern Illinois and Veolia and its employees are excited to play a part in their commitment to feed the hungry.”

Each weekday morning, three NIFB truck drivers and their volunteer sidekicks swoop out of Northern Illinois Food Bank into the community to do some truly heroic work.  Their goal is to save food  from being thrown out into the dumpster at area grocery stores.  NIFB redirects this much needed food, especially highly valued meat, to hungry people in our communities.

In 2000, NIFB recognized a large gap between the amount of non-perishable food, such as canned goods and dry goods, and the amount of perishable food, like produce, breads and meats, that was being distributed to partner agencies.  Area grocery stores were a perfect source for this food so NIFB implemented the Food Rescue & Recovery Program. A handful of Jewel-Osco stores first joined the program in 2000 and donated 23,374 pounds of food in the first year.  Growing the program through persistence and hard-work, NIFB saved nearly 2.5 million pounds of food over the last year from 61 stores, including 52 Jewel-Osco's, 7 Super Target's, and 2 Dominick's!

This food has become so important to the lives of hungry people in northern Illinois, especially the meat that comes from the program.  Meat, a high-cost item, is often out of reach of the hungry but is a critical source of protein.  Although the donated meat is still good to eat, it must be pulled from the shelves once it reaches the "sell-by-date".  Rather than throwing it out, participating stores freeze the meat in preparation for NIFB to pick it up.  NIFB can now regularly provide meat to its agencies with over 1.5 million pounds recovered last year alone. 

Dave Korczykowski, Food Rescue & Recovery Manager, works with participating store managers to improve the program and get new stores  involved.  Korczykowski notes that store managers are very supportive of the program because the food will help the hungry.  "Employee morale at stores  increases because this food is no longer going to waste," says Korczykowski, "And store customers are proud to learn that their store is helping feed the hungry by donating this desirable food."  Click here to learn how you can volunteer as a hero in this program.

For the second time in just three days, NIFB benefited from a day on the golf course.  The weather faired much better than two days earlier with sunny skies and the result of the day was no less impressive.  Over 70 golfers came together at the BP IST/Shipping Charity Golf Outing to raise more than $30,000 in support of NIFB's efforts to fight hunger.

Greg Wilson, Products Scheduling Team Leader at BP, has put together this outing for the last two years.  "I feel that BP gets involved in fundraising events to help others in our community that need it. It is a way of giving back to the community in which we live and work," said Wilson.  Greg Wilson and his colleagues at BP logged 98 volunteer hours and secured 11 corporate sponsors to make the day a huge success.  Their efforts will help NIFB provide more than 202,000 meals.  Thank you, BP, for your continuous and unwavering support of Northern Illinois Food Bank!

For the second year in a row, Forest Hills Lanes in Loves Park became the scene of a critical competition:  who can make the best cheeseburger!  The Cook-Off took place on August 25th and proceeds benefited NIFB.  With eight teams competing for bragging rights for the upcoming year, Dan Puckett and Jonna Kirwan from the Rockford Ski Rack & Patio took first place as the "Best Cheeseburger in Paradise".  With their "Roasted Away Again Burger", Dan and Jonna left no belly unsatisfied.  In the spirit of the event, they even donated their $500 prize back to Northern Illinois Food Bank in support of its mission.  "That's what it's all about!" said Puckett.  Thank you to all of the event sponsors, contestants, and volunteers who made this event possible, and a special thank you to Julie Christian for her dedication to the event.  Click here to read more about this fun-filled event.