Northern Illinois Food Bank to host annual Full on Faith Week

Serving neighbors in need is a common, shared mission among people of all faiths, regardless of religion or denomination.

Northern Illinois Food Bank will host its second annual Full on Faith Week Feb. 11-18, a week-long initiative dedicated to bringing faith-based organizations and schools together to put their faith in action by joining the Food Bank's mission of solving hunger in Northern Illinois.

Congregations and schools of all faiths will have a variety of ways to get involved and help feed the food bank's 71,500 weekly hungry neighbors across its 13-county service area, including:

• Volunteering at one of the food bank's centers in Geneva, Rockford and Park City to help sort and repack sort food for distribution to our hungry neighbors. Groups of up to 50 people and volunteers ages 8 and older are welcome.

• Hosting a food and/or fund drive, or take a special collection during an upcoming service and donate it to the Food Bank, where every $1 donated provides $8 worth of food.

• Inviting a Food Bank speaker to your place of worship to educate your congregation about the issue of hunger. Speakers are available leading up to Full on Faith week and year-round.

Faith-based groups have played an integral role in Northern Illinois Food Bank's mission since the organization was founded in 1983 under the name Bethlehem Center by Sister Rosemarie Burian. Today, 66 percent of the 800 feeding sites and programs in the food bank's network are operated by faith-based organizations.

"Solving hunger requires action from everyone in the community, and we feel very blessed to have such a strong and growing supporter base in our faith-based partner agencies and volunteer groups," said Julie Yurko, Northern Illinois Food Bank's president and CEO. "The passion and dedication for our mission shown by the faith community will not only help ensure our hungry neighbors have access to nutritious foods this month, but all year long."

For more information about Full on Faith week, visit www.SolveHungerToday.org/FullonFaith.

To register your group for a volunteer shift or request a Food Bank speaker to visit your organization and talk about the issue of hunger in your community, please contact Shannon Thompson at (630) 443-6910, ext. 125.

Northern Illinois Food Bank leads the northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships. Since 1983, food manufacturers, local grocers, corporations, foundations, and individuals have come together to donate food and funds, and evaluate and repack food for distribution to 800 community food pantries and feeding programs serving more than 71,500 hungry neighbors each week across 13 counties. That commitment provided 62.5 million meals to those in need in fiscal year 2016. Find out how you can volunteer, donate and get involved at www.SolveHungerToday.org or follow them at www.facebook.com/northernilfoodbank and www.twitter.com/ILfoodbank. Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of Feeding America.