Mac N' Cheese Contest raises funds for homeless youth

More than 200 people satisfied their inner child at the Third Annual Cheesy Noodles Mac N' Cheese Contest at Max's Restaurant & Deli in Highland Park Nov. 23, raising more than $5,000 for Stand Up for Kids Chicago, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending youth homelessness through national and local outreach.

Guests dined on a variety of macaroni and cheeses prepared by local restaurants, toasted s'mores and learned more about problems facing homeless youth in Chicago during Homeless Youth Awareness Month.

Esteemed chefs from all over Chicagoland came together to showcase their very own specialty macaroni and cheese dishes, which were then tasted and judged by "the people" and a panel of local celebrity guest judges.

Remington's Chicago and British chef David Witcher took home the top Judge's Choice for the Best Mac N' Cheese, followed by Nick's Neighborhood Bar & Grill of Wilmette and Chicago's Smoke Daddy.

Valley Lodge Tavern of Glenview, Nick's and Remington's took the top three People's Choice spots. Other competitors included Highwood's new Barrel Crossing Tap & Grill and Pinstripes in Northbrook.

Judges included Julie Chernoff, dining editor for Make It Better Media; Melissa Forman, host of WCIU-TV's "You & Me This Morning"; Simon Murray, associate editor of JWC Media's The North Shore Weekend and Sheridan Road Magazine; and Christa Rooks, editor of The Highland Park Landmark.

"This was the perfect family-friendly event to kick off the holiday season of giving, and we are so pleased with the outpouring of support and interest in volunteering," said Abbey Cross, executive director of Stand Up For Kids Chicago.

"By meeting our goal of raising $5,000, Stand Up for Kids Chicago is now able to help 50 of Chicago's homeless youth stay in school for a month, or five stay in school for the entire year."

Over the course of a year, approximately 26,000 youth in Illinois and 15,000 youth in Chicago experience homelessness. With the approaching colder weather, Stand Up for Kids Chicago is working to promote the local outreach center as a safe haven for kids. Volunteers are already hitting the streets to distribute hot meals and to provide socks, hats, mittens, coats and more so that these homeless children can survive the winter season.

"There are so many forgotten children on the street that are more than homeless; they have often lost their family connections for various reasons," Stand Up for Kids Chicago Chairman of the Board Brian Russell said.

"When the community comes together through events like this, they help us fund programs for the kids to help break the homeless cycle. We welcome the chance to raise money, but also to raise awareness of this homeless problem in our backyard."

Stand Up for Kids Chicago welcomes inquiries from youth groups and volunteers to distribute food and clothing while walking the streets with Stand Up For Kids Chicago volunteers.

North Shore residents can also help make the holiday wishes of Chicago's homeless youth come true this season by visiting the "Giving Tree" at their local Starbucks. More than a dozen Starbucks locations will be home to a Giving Tree decorated with "wish tags" filled out with real needs from Chicago's homeless teens for such items as a bus or train pass, a winter coat, groceries, a gas card, etc.

Starbucks customers are encouraged to pull a gift tag from the Giving Tree, grant the wish and return the item to the Starbucks by Dec. 18. The gift will later be given to the teen.

Stand Up For Kids is a nonprofit volunteer organization whose mission is to provide crisis intervention and basic survival necessities for at-risk and homeless youth through national and local outreach. Violence and abuse are increasingly common within families and communities, and there are now 1.3 million homeless and street kids.

Stand Up For Kids offers an abundance of services, complete anonymity and ensures that youth do not have to feel alone in dealing with their problems. The mission is to end the cycle of youth homelessness throughout the United States.

For more information, visit www.standupforkidschicago.org, email abbey@standupforkidschicsgo.org or call (773) 817-1684.

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