St. Charles food bank to celebrate 25 years

In the 25 years since the Northern Illinois Food Bank set up shop in St. Charles, the nonprofit agency has grown from distributing roughly 84,000 pounds of food a year to 22 million pounds.

To celebrate that achievement and others, the organization is hosting a special 25th anniversary donor-appreciation dinner and fundraiser Saturday at Bobak's Signature Events at Seven Bridges, 6440 Double Eagle Drive, Woodridge.

The festivities include an appearance by former Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, who will hand out commemorative food bank jerseys to 25 individuals and corporations "who have gotten us to where we are today," said food bank communications manager Samantha Haggerty. There also will be an announcement about plans for a new food bank location in Kane County, she said.

"This is the biggest fundraiser we have each year … but this time we've actually had to add tables," she said.

The celebration begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by donor recognition at 6:45 p.m. The remainder of the evening consists of a live auction, music and dancing until 11:30 p.m.

While Saturday's event is sold out, Haggerty said folks interested in helping the food bank still can get involved by volunteering or making food donations, online or in person.

For more information, call (630) 443-6910 or go online to www.northernilfoodbank.org.