Executive Women's Council raises more than $56,000 at second annual Cup of Hope event

The Executive Women's Council of Northern Illinois Food Bank and its supporters raised more than $56,000, worth more than $448,000 in food to benefit Northern Illinois Food Bank and the organization's mission of solving hunger across 13 counties of Northern Illinois.

The second annual event, held Sunday, March 5 at Hotel Arista in Naperville, gathered gardeners and food bank supporters alike for a traditional afternoon tea party experience, complete with an extensive selection of sparkling wines, loose teas, appetizers and raffle prizes.

The afternoon also included a gardening demo and a discussion led by butterfly habitat expert Nancy Hatmaker Ristau of the Conservation Foundation about welcoming wildlife and butterflies to your home garden.

The Executive Women's Council, which hosts several events throughout the year to benefit the Northern Illinois Food Bank, aims to engage more women in the issue of hunger and in donating time, food and funds through outreach and fundraising initiatives.

A Cup of Hope is the council's premiere event of the year, and all proceeds benefit the child nutrition programs.

"We're very excited and grateful for the outpouring of generosity we saw from the community, and were so excited to see such strong attendance and to have raised these funds for child nutrition programming at the Food Bank," said Cup of Hope event co-chair Nancy Conley.

"We are thrilled to see this event grow so much since its inception just last year, and we look forward to making Cup of Hope an even more successful and flourishing event in years to come."

To learn more about upcoming events at Northern Illinois Food Bank and how to get involved in our mission of solving hunger, visit www.SolveHungerToday.org, or call (630) 443-6910.

To get more information on the Cup of Hope event or join the Executive Women's Council, call Monica Marr at (847) 336-3663, ext. 748.

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 16. Find out how you can volunteer, donate and get involved at www.SolveHungerToday.org or follow the food bank on Facebook and Twitter.

Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of Feeding America.