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January/February 2008 - Vol. 2, Issue 3 |
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 50,059 Number of hours donated by volunteers in 2007 |
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VOLUNTEERS CATCH THE HOLIDAY
SPIRIT:
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Make a Difference Today: Sign Up to Volunteer at the Food Bank!
You have the opportunity to be a part of this amazing group of people. Call today to schedule a group of your friends, your co-workers, or your civic club to help fight hunger! Call Northern Illinois Food Bank today or click here to learn more!
Call the NIFB location nearest you to get involved! |
On a typical Saturday, many people look forward to a relaxing morning by sleeping in, enjoying some coffee, or sitting back with the newspaper. But Saturday mornings are anything but typical at Northern Illinois Food Bank when you are expecting over 120 volunteers. Instead of a relaxing morning at home, these people turn up to do some serious work in the Food Bank's warehouse. The true spirit of giving
took flight this holiday season with nearly 10,000 hours donated by
volunteers during the months of November and December. In
addition to Saturdays at the Food Bank, volunteers donated
their time each weekday averaging well over 400 volunteers every
week throughout this holiday se
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Holiday Train Lights Up :
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Birthday
Wish Comes True:
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Volunteers
truly are the lifeblood of Northern Illinois Food Bank and make the
work of feeding hungry people in our communities possible. It
takes a special person to volunteer their free time to help their
community and to help people less fortunate than themselves.
The amount of time donated by volunteers in November and December is
equivalent to over $185,000 in salary. These savings allow the
Food Bank to redirect funds into acquiring more food and
distributing it to hungry people. More important, this donated
time contributed to the more than 3.6 million pounds of food
distributed to hungry neighbors this holiday season. Now
that's dedication!
ason. "It was just amazing to
see the sheer number of volunteers wanting to help out this year,"
said Steve Ericson, Director of Operations, "Phone calls flooded the Food Bank the last few months with requests to
bring in volunteer groups, and we welcomed every one of them."
With numerous food drives taking place and 27,000
Giving to others really
drives the passion of the volunteers. Bob Gehm, an employee of
BP and a volunteer, said, "
On
December 8, a 1,000 foot long train with fourteen decorated rail
cars lighted with thousands of LED lights, arrived in Viking Park in
Gurnee. In addition to welcoming in the holidays, the train is
used to raise awareness about hunger relief. This year's festivities
brought in an impressive $45,000 in the fight against hunger!
nty
Chamber of Commerce. “Giving back to the community is one of
the things the Chamber prides itself on. We’ve been involved with
the Holiday Train for a number of years and it’s a big community
event the Village of Gurnee looks forward to,” said Lou Molitor,
President of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. Added Dennis
Smith, Executive Director of Northern Illinois Food Bank, "We are so
grateful for the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian
Pacific Railway for their generosity in providing hope to families
in need." The funds raised from this year's event will allow
the Food Bank to distribute nearly 375,000 pounds of food to the
hungry. With these amazing results, Santa may need to trade in
his sleigh for a train!
Kane
County employees joined together for the first time in a friendly
competition to see which department could raise the most food and
funds to benefit 23 Kane County partner food pantries in December.
The response from Kane County employees was overwhelming. More
than 3,200 lbs. of non-perishable food and $8,351 was donated to help
feed hungry neighbors.
For
one little boy, all he wanted for his birthday was a cake. Standing
in line at the Mobile Pantry, he asked his mom if they would have a
cake for him. With sadness in her eyes, she said she hoped they
would. That day his wish was granted and there was a birthday
cake at the Mobile Pantry. Tears swelled up in the mother’s eyes as
she repeatedly thanked the Northern Illinois Food Bank employee.