'Souper Bowl of Caring' to fill food pantry shelves

On Saturday, Jan. 31, join the Fox Valley United Way's annual "Souper Bowl of Caring." Help fill the shelves at the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry and the Kendall County Food Pantry.

They need your help, and so do the community food pantries. Often after the holiday season, local food pantries find their shelves low and donations depleted.

"Souper Bowl of Caring" mobilizes local youth to fight hunger and poverty in the communities. The vision was to create the communities' largest youth-led day of giving and serving.

They will need student volunteers from these communities to help work to fill the shelves at the food pantries.

You can make a significant difference with your cash donation. This year, a $1 donation will give the food pantries the ability to purchase $8 worth of food at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. In the "Feed The Hungry Initiative," your donation will go directly to the food pantries to purchase food from the food bank.

You can make a significant difference with your cash donation. Your donation will go directly toward purchasing food from the food bank. Donate now at www.uwfoxvalley.org/give.

Stop by these stores on Jan. 31: Prisco's Fine Foods, 1108 Prairie St. in Aurora; or Jewel-Osco stores at 3795 Orchard Road in Oswego; 234 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville; 1157 N. Eola Road in Aurora; 1952 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora; and 465 Route 47 in Sugar Grove.

Find out more about Souper Bowl of Caring food drive at www.uwfoxvalley.org/souper-bowl-caring-food-drive.

Last year's Souper Bowl of Caring collected more than 2,273 pounds of food, and with $4,279 in cash donations, the food pantries purchased an additional $34,232 worth of bulk groceries.

You can run a food drive through your place of business, community group, neighborhood, school or other organization. The needed items list shows what items the pantries need the most at this time. It includes: canned fruits and vegetables, toilet paper, canned meat, canned soup and mix, breakfast cereal, macaroni and cheese, sugar, baby food and formula, rice and beans, tuna, cooking oil, potato, noodles and rice sides, peanut butter and jelly, and pasta and sauce.